


I Hate (Love) Cats

by wontokki_luv97



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Cat Lim Changkyun, Cat/Human Hybrids, M/M, Mentioned Chae Hyungwon, Mentioned Son Hyunwoo | Shownu, Minor Lee Jooheon/Lee Minhyuk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-05-24 16:13:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 24,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14957895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wontokki_luv97/pseuds/wontokki_luv97
Summary: I suck at summaries and I feel like the tags give most of it away so just go with it! :)





	1. Chapter 1

**_Bzzzt....bzzt..bzzt.bzzzt....bzzzttt._ **

Hoseok rolled over in bed until his face hit the pillow and groaned loudly. He knew there was only one person who would be sending a ridiculous amount of texts at the ungodly hour of 6 AM. _Minhyuk...why are you like this?_ After groaning again and thrashing around in the bed like a child who's mother is scolding them to get up and get ready for school, he sits up reluctantly and grabs his phone. Before unlocking it, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to mentally prepare himself for Minhyuk's nonsense. He sighs and opens his eyes, unlocking his phone and scrolling to his texting app, and opens his conversation with Minhyuk.

**Minhyukkie**

_Hoseokkieeeeee~_

_Wakey wakeyyyy~_

_You know we have places to be today!_

_You promised you would come!!_

_No one has seen you in weeks! Not once since..._

_Well...you know..._

_But no more hiding in your house and pouting!!_

_Yah!_

_Why haven't you answered yett~_

_Get uppppppp~_

**Me**

_Alright! I'm up!_

_Give me half an hour to get ready._

**Minhyukkie**

_A whole half an hour??_

_You're gonna make me stand outside of your door for half an hour?_

_That's just bad etiquette_

**Me**

_What??_

_You're outside?_

_Why??_

_I told you I would meet you there?_

**Minhyukkie**

_You see there are two problems with that_

_1_

_I haven't told you where we're going so how would you meet me there?_

_2_

_You haven't been the most consistent with keeping plans lately_

_So it's easier to make sure you come if I'm here in person_

_No one can resist these puppy dog eyes!_

**Me**

_I have not been that inconsistent!_

**Minhyukkie**

_...._

**Me**

_Okay...maybe I have..._

**Minhyukkie**

_Mhm that's what I thought_

_Sooo..._

_Are you really just gonna make me stand out here all day?_

_Because I will_

**Me**

_Oh shoot! Sorry, here I come!_

After staring blankly at the wall, contemplating the audacity of this generation, [how can you sit there and text someone that is less than 20 feet away from you??], Hoseok scrambles out of bed and sprints to his front door. As he's about to open the door, he realizes he is only wearing underwear, and runs back to his room to throw on sweats and a t-shirt and then runs back to the door, panting as he opens it. Minhyuk raised an eyebrow at Hoseok's disheveled appearance and walked past him, taking off his shoes before entering the house. He smirked as he made his way to Hoseok's kitchen, searching through his fridge for something to eat.

"Did I interrupt something?", Minhyuk questions in a teasing tone.

"What?" Hoseok responds, not picking up on Minhyuk's innuendo, "Other than my precious sleep what would you have interrupted?"

Minhyuk grins his typical bright, wide smile as he walks over to Hoseok and squeezes him from behind. "Ahhh how cute~ My poor, innocent Hoseokkie~. Don't mind me! Hurry and take a shower while I make us something to eat."

Hoseok whines as he struggles out of Minhyuk's tight grasp and looks him in the eye. "Since when can you cook? And are you ever gonna tell me where the hell we're going? I'm tired and I don't wanna go anywhere. I just wanna lay in bed and hide from the world until it doesn't hurt anymore..." He says, getting quieter and quieter as he continues.

"Ah, Hoseokkie." Minhyuk says with a hint of pity in his normally cheerful voice. He takes Hoseok's hand and walks him over to the couch and prompts him to sit down, before sitting on the coffee table in front of him. Hoseok has his eyes in his own lap and refuses to look at Minhyuk, most likely embarrassed by his little confession. After trying and failing to catch his gaze for a minute, Minhyuk places his hands on either side of Hoseok face, squishing his cheeks together before relaxing and cupping his face gently. "Hoseokkie, if lying in bed being sad hasn't made the pain go away these last 3 months, don't you think it's time to try something else? I'm not gonna tell you that everything will magically get better by going outside, but you have to start somewhere right? I know you don't wanna hear this...but she's not gonna come back whether you continue to lay here and do nothing, or decide to start living your life again. So, shouldn't you try the plan that at least has a chance of making you happy again?"

"Minhyukkie..." Hoseok mumbles, his voice shaking slightly as he leans forward quickly and wraps his arms around Minhyuk. He snuggles his face into the crook of Minhyuk's neck and sniffles, a few traitorous tears escaping from his eyes into Minhyuk's shirt.

"It's gonna be okay." Mihyuk says quietly as he rubs Hoseok's back in an attempt to calm him. They stay like that for about 15 minutes before Minhyuk's typical restless energy starts to kick in. He wants to be there for Hoseok, but at the same time sitting in the same place and not talking for this long is getting to him. He doesn't say anything to Hoseok, but his leg begins bouncing up and down and his hand goes from rubbing soothing circles to patting random beats into Hoseok's back, causing the latter to chuckle and lean back. He uses his hands to wipe any remaining tears from his face before giving Minhyuk a small smile. "Ahhh~ I thought you would never get up! I was going crazy!" Minhyuk exclaims brightly, "Now get up! I wanna take you somewhere and you still haven't showered. Plus I'm hungry!" He continues and he pulls Hoseok up off the couch. He then walks behind him and pushes him all the way to the bathroom before shoving him in.

"Yah! No need to push I'm going! Plus I'm still your hyung, show some respect!" Hoseok protests in mock anger.

"When you look like a respectable human being again, I'll consider calling you hyung." Minhyuk replies cheekily.

"Kids these days.." Hoseok says under his breath as he closes the bathroom door and begins to strip his clothes for the shower, "So rude."

"Yeah yeah yeah, just hurry up I'll make breakfast." Minhyuk replies noncommittally as he walks back to the kitchen.

* * *

 

"Is there a reason you had to leave the house looking like the human embodiment of depression?" Minhyuk comments in a judmental tone as he takes in Hoseok's outfit. He's wearing tight, ripped black jeans and a pair of black boots. Of course he had to wear an oversized black hoodie and the darkest sunglasses he owns. He would look cool if his mood didn't also bring a perverbial black cloud over his head as well. Minhyuk swore complete strangers could feel Hoseok's sour aura from a mile away. Hoseok looked over at Minhyuk with a frown before looking away and replying.

"Well since you came out looking like a literal ball of sunshine, I thought I had to tone it down somehow, no need for both of us to blind everyone around us." He responds, referring to Minhyuk's bright white skinny jeans and white vans, along with his white tshirt and white baseball cap covering his white hair, the only thing actually keeping Minhyuk from reflecting every ray of sunlight back at unsuspecting passersby was his blue jean jacket, slighty toning down the outfit.

"Don't be such a Debbie downer Hoseokkie," Minhyuk pouts, "You're gonna love where I'm taking you." He continues, grinning widely.

Hoseok chooses not to respond and continues walking next to Minhyuk without really paying attention to where he was going. Minhyuk, realizing that Hoseok's mind is elsewhere, slows his pace and begins walking behind Hoseok, pulling something out of his pocket. He creeps up behind Hoseok with said object and swiftly grabs Hoseok's sunglasses and removes them, replacing them with the bandana he brought, and covered his eyes. Hoseok jolted and started trying to untie the knot while screaming at Minhyuk.

"Yah! What the hell is this Minhyuk?!" He shouted.

"Shh! Calm down geez! People are gonna think something is wrong with you."

"You're the one going around blindfolding people! They're gonna think something is wrong with you and rescue me."

"We're almost there and I want it to be a surprise, just chill." Minhyuk says matter of factly, ignoring Hoseok's kidnapping allegations entirely.

* * *

 

Hoseok had given up on fighting, knowing that any battle against Minhyuk was futile as the younger almost always got his way. They had finally made it to wherever the hell Minhyuk decided to take them. He had told Hoseok they arrived and to stop walking so he could proceed to remove the blindfold.

"Tada!~" Minhyuk shouted as he gestured to the building in front of them excited after removing the blindfold. Hoseok blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the light before completely opening his eyes and reading the sign on the building that said "Kihyun's Cat Cradle". He said nothing as he stared blankly at the sign for a few minutes before sighing, putting his head down, closing his eyes, and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Minhyuk-ah."

"Mmm?"

"What the hell is this?"

"What do you mean? It says it on the sign right there, did you lose your ability to read in the past three months?"

"Minhyuk,"

"Yes, that's my name."

"You know I hate cats..." Hosoek says exasperatedly as he rubs his face and pushes his light brown hair back.

"No, you love cats, they just hate you." Minhyuk answers, failing to see the problem with the situation.

"If you know cats hate me then why would you bring me here?" Hoseok questions grouchily.

"Because you love cats."

"Minhyuk I swear to God--"

"Listen." Minhyuk interrupts, " I know you've had a few bad experiences with cats." Hoseok says nothing but raises and eyebrow incredulously at Minhyuk. "Alright, alright! More than a few," he continues with his hands up in a placating manner, "But there's no way that every cat on the planet hates you, we just have to find the cat that doesn't and hopefully it can help pull you out of this slump." Minhyuk beams as he finishes his sentence. He grabs Hoseok's hand and drags him into the store as Hoseok looks upwards and asks the Gods why he's being dragged into this mess.


	2. Cat Scratch

Hoseok couldn't help but think that today was going to be a long day as he allowed himself to be dragged by Minhyuk for the millionth time. It was only 7:30AM and he felt like he'd been awake for centuries. Minhyuk continued to hold his hand as he stopped abruptly at the counter, where a short, orange-haired fellow stood. The man seemed to be eyeing them both suspiciously, (more so Minhyuk than Hoseok) so Hoseok removed his hand from Minhyuk's grasp and looked around the building at all of the stereotypical cat memorabilia as the man behind the counter addressed Minhyuk.

"I see you're back here for some reason, and you brought a friend with you this time." The man said as he glared daggers at Minhyuk. Hoseok's head snapped back at the two of them when he heard the rather abrasive tone, wondering just how Minhyuk had managed to piss him off in such a short amount of time. But after glancing at Minhyuk's unabashed smile, he assumed he must have met the hamster-esqe man before.

"Ahh Kihyunnie~, that's not how you're supposed to greet a paying customer now is it?" Minhyuk cheekily replied.

"Considering you've been here so many times before without adopting a cat or purchasing anything, I doubt I have to treat you the way I would treat a PAYING customer." Kihyun snapped back quickly.

"You know, I would be offended by your attitude, but I guess it's to be expected from a hamster that's surrounded by cats everyday." Minhyuk shot back just as quickly, smile never leaving his face.

"YOU LISTEN HERE--!" Kihyun started to shout while seemingly attempting to climb over the counter to attack Minhyuk, before he was interrupted by a large hand clapping him on the shoulder. Kihyun immediately got off of the counter, turned around and sheepishly met the eye of a tall, muscular man that resembled a bear. "Shownu-hyung..." Kihyun squeaked as the man's face remained neutral.

"What have I told you about yelling at customers?" Shownu said sternly.

"Okay I'm sorry, I know. But Minhyuk totally started it!"

"I most certainly did not!" Minhyuk chimed in a hearty tone.

"Seriously, he started it? How old are you?" Shownu responded incredulously, "Just go chill in the backroom for a few minutes and I'll handle the customers."

"But--!" Kihyun started but his mouth shut quickly as he noticed the slight lift in Shownu's eyebrow. He sighed and began walking towards the back room but not before shooting Minhyuk another childish glare, to which Minhyuk responded equally as childish, sticking his tongue out. Hoseok rolled his eyes and elbowed Minhyuk, causing him to pout even more childishly and rub his side.

When Kihyun had finally disappeared behind the door Shownu turned back around, face still expressionless, landing his tired gaze on Minhyuk. Minhyuk's smile returned full-blast despite the intimidating gaze. "Can you please stop provoking Kihyun? He's grumpy enough as it is and you aren't the one that has to go home with him." Shownu pleaded tiredly.

Minhyuk raised an eyebrow at that, smile getting impossibly wider. "Hey, I wouldn't tease him if he wasn't so easy to rile up. And don't think I'm just gonna slide past the fact that you implied that you go home with him. Are you guys dating? Hmm?~" he questioned daringly.

Shownu blushed at that but refused to dignify Minhyuk with a response and turned his attention to Hoseok. "Sorry about that. What's your name? Are you interested in adopting a cat with us today?" Hoseok jolted at the conversation being so abruptly shifted to him and cleared his throat before responding.

"Uh it's fine. I'm Hoseok and um..." he trailed as his gaze shifted to Minhyuk, jumping when he saw the menacing glare his was being given. It was as if Minhyuk was daring Hoseok to defy him and say he wasn't interested in getting a cat. Hoseok's eyes widened and he quickly redirected his gaze to Shownu and continued speaking, "Uh yeah, I'd like to get a cat but I'm not sure it's a great idea..."

"Why's that?" Shownu asked, face finally changing from a non-existent expression to a puzzled one.

"Just from my experience, cats don't really like me."

"I think you've just been meeting the wrong cats." Shownu responded with a small smile on his face. He reached below the counter and pulled out a few documents and a pen, "Here, just fill these out and give them back to me. Then you can head down that hall to your right. There should be a door on your left. It's locked but if you knock on it someone should open it for you and they can show you all our cats."

"Ah, okay." Hoseok responded, taking the paperwork and sitting in one of the chairs in the waiting room to fill them out while Minhyuk continued to question Shownu about his relationship with Kihyun.

* * *

 

Hoseok was calmly walking behind an overly excited Minhyuk, following the directions Shownu gave them to the cat room. Minhyuk had arrived to the door already, beckoning Hoseok to hurry up as he bounced up and down excitedly and knocked on it a few times. Hoseok spoke up when he finally caught up to Minhyuk.

"Why do they have to lock the door anyway? It's not like a cat can open doors." He questioned.

"How should I know, I don't work here." Minhyuk responded.

"Well you're here all the time according to Kihyun so I just figured you would know."

"That's like saying just because I eat at the same restaraunt a lot I should know all of their recipes."

"It's literally not just like--" Hoseok began before his was interrupted by the door opening, revealing a man who's smile caused his eyes to close almost completely and dimples to form in his soft, puffy looking cheeks. Hoseok couldn't help but think the man was adorable.

"Hi guys! I'm Jooheon! Nice to meet you! If you follow me, you can see our lovely collection of kitt--" the soft boy was interrupted when Minhyuk practically leaped into his arms and squeezed him.

"Joohoneyyyyy~~" He squealed as he rubbed his face against Jooheon's, "I missed you so much! I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!

"Minhyuk get off!" The boy whined, "You literally saw me here yesterday." He finished as he pried Minhyuk's arms off.

"That was yesterday and today is today." Minhyuk stated simply and released Jooheon only to reattach himself to his arm. Jooheon sighed and looked over at Hoseok.

"So you wanna see kittens?" He asked dryly.

"Uh...yeah sure." Hoseok responded hesistantly.

* * *

"Wow..." Jooheon breathed out in astonishment, "I've never seen anyone get rejected by every kitten we have, especially so violently."

Hosoek winced as Hyungwon applied antiseptic to his numerous scratches. The guy had appeared out of nowhere after Hoseok got scratched the fifth time, looking like he'd been rudely awoken from a nap, carrying a first aid kit. Hyungwon smiled apologetically as he put a bandage on the last cut. They had spent hours going through the entire shelter and every cat reacted the same way to Hoseok, with hostility and anger.

"It must happen pretty often if you have a guy working here who's job is to bandage cuts." Hoseok murmured as he pouted.

"Honestly, this is the first time I've had to do anything." The tall silver-haired boy admitted, "This job is more of a glorified naptime than anything for me. I would just nap at home but my mom is always getting on me about studying for my university exams, so Shownu gave me a "job" and told me I could sleep here. The cats seem to like cuddling with me when I sleep."

"Yeah that must be nice." Hoseok shot back angrily. He sighed and then continued, "Listen everybody I appreciate your help, but we've been through every cat and clearly they all hate me, so I think I'll have to pass on getting one."

"No! You have to get one! You can't keep sitting in your house all alone sulking!" Minhyuk shouted and he looked around desperately. His expression changed to an excited one when he saw one last cat room they hadn't entered yet. "What about that one?!" He asked excitedly.

"Uhh I don't know about that one..." Jooheon answered nervously.

"Why not?" Hoseok pondered aloud.

"That kitten is the most evil animal I've ever met. Every cat in here loves me except for that one, it hates everyone and everything." Hyungwon explained.

"Well it hasn't seen Hoseok yet! So we can't say it hates everyone!" Minhyuk replied sunnily. He went behind Hoseok and pushed him toward the cage. They both peered in and the kitten seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Hoseok looked at the kitten and a small smile came to his face watching its tiny body rise and fall with its even breaths. He glanced at the wall next to the cage to see the information about the kitten. They had those on all of the cages and they usually had a name, an age, and a short description of the cat's personality or background. But the paper on this one just said "I.M." in big, bold letters.

"Why is it named I.M.?" He asked.

"Ah! I came up with that as a nickname for the time being!" Jooheon supplied with a bit of pride, "It stands for "it's mean"."

"Woowww..." Hyungwon replied sarcastically as Hoseok rolled his eyes.

"My Joohoney is so creative!~" Minhyuk said excitedly as his wrapped his arms around Jooheon once again, much to the latter's dismay.

Hoseok ignored Minhyuk's cooing and opened the glass door, closing it behind him gently in a futile attempt not to startle the kitten, but it unfortunately jumped and opened it's eyes suddenly, revealing one green eye and one blue eye. It eyed him carefully, back scrunched and ears flattened as its strikingly dark black fur stood up on end.

"Uhh Hoseok, I really don't think this is a good idea..." Jooheon stated with a slight tremble in his voice.

"It's okay," Hoseok whispered, though he was talking the kitten and not Jooheon, "I'm not gonna hurt you." Hoseok slowly sat down on the side of the cage closest to the door and put his hands in his lap, not attempting to reach for the kitten. Everyone was completely silent as they watched the exchange between the two.

The kitten remained in the corner, warily eyeing Hoseok for several minutes. After what seemed like an eternity, the kitten relaxed a bit and slowly made its way toward Hoseok, still seeming nervous. As it got closer, Hoseok slowly extended his arm toward the kitten and offered the back of his hand. The kitten froze again and stared at Hoseok's hand anxiously, but it didn't retreat and neither did Hoseok. After several more minutes of hesitation the kitten moved until it was right next to Hoseok's hand and sniffed it for a bit. It looked up into Hoseok's eyes as if asking for permission to which Hoseok responded with a small smile. The kitten looked back at his hand and waited for a few seconds before cautiously rubbing its head on him. Hoseok let it be for a few seconds before carefully shifting his hand to pet the kitten. He half expected to be scratched, but was instead rewarded with a soft purr. 

After a few minutes of this interaction he picked up the kitten, who did not protest to everyone's surprise, and instead snuggled into Hoseok's arms. Hoseok smiled brightly down at the cat and spoke softly when it met his gaze. "Do you want to come home with me little one?" The cat responded by rubbing it's face against Hoseok's.

Hoseok stood up slowly and walked out of the cage with the kitten cradled in his arms, still admiring the cute little thing. When he finally looked up he saw the other three boys staring at him with their jaws dropped.

"I..."

"Cannot believe..."

"You got that demon to like you..." Jooheon, Hyungwon and Minhyuk responded one after the other, shock still apparent on their faces.

"He's not a demon, he's just scared." Hoseok replied softly, gently scratching the kitten behind the ears and smiling as it purred again.

"Scared or not I've never seen him act anything but hostile." Jooheon answered again slowly walking toward Hoseok and the kitten and extending his hand, only for the kitten to hiss and swat at him, causing Jooheon to yank his hand back. "See!"

"Hey it's okay buddy," Hoseok placated the kitten by stroking him and the kitten immediately relaxed in his arms once again.

"So I guess you're getting that one?" Minhyuk answered, a smile creeping on his face.

Hoseok just looked at him and smiled.

* * *

 

"Jooheon why the hell did you show him that cat!" Kihyun screamed as he hid behind Shownu's much larger frame, "That's the meanest one we have!"

"Hey I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen. But just look hyung, that kitten adores him! It's snuggling into his arms! Have you ever seen that thing awake and not heard it growling and hissing?!"

"Wow...you're right," Kihyun responded still not daring to move from behind Shownu. He turned his attention from the kitten to Hoseok's face. "If you really want that kitten, I sure as hell won't stop you. But you do need to buy some supplies to take care of him at your house.

"Of course!" Hoseok replied with a giant smile on his face, "Of course I want him...he's perfect." He continued as he looked back down at the kitten in his arms, smile only growing wider. Minhyuk had a small, soft smile on his face as he watched the two of them interact, still clutching Jooheon's arm.

"I haven't seen him smile that genuinely since she left..." Minhyuk said softly to himself.

"What'd you say, Minhyukkie?" Jooheon said, giving Minhyuk a confused look.

"Nothing Joohoney!~ I'm just happy." Minhyuk answered, turning his attention to Shownu and Kihyun as he began ordering cat supplies on a distracted Hoseok's behalf.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh soft Hoseok with a kitten makes me so softttttt <3 Sorry for the wait! It's almost 2AM but here's the second chapter! Idk how many chapters this is gonna be! I'm still super new to this whole writing thing! I've only ever written one other thing on here and it's just a one-shot. I hope you like it though! I tried to keep Shownu/Kihyun and Minhyuk/Jooheon relationships fairly ambiguous so feel free to fill in the blanks! Be sure to let me know if you're still liking this and if I should continue!


	3. You're Gonna Need a New Name

Even though Hoseok was currently pissing Minhyuk off, (a very difficult task to pull off honestly), Minhyuk had to admit that this could possibly be the cutest thing he's ever seen in his entire life, and he sees Jooheon every single day. While Hoseok was off in La la land with his new found best friend in the store, Minhyuk had decided to take it upon himself to pick out everything the kitten needed and get it for him _, so what if I slipped Hoseok's credit card out of his pocket while he was distracted to pay for  it? It's the thought that counts._ Minhyuk may have gotten a bit carried away with the amount of things that he purchased, but every time he looked over at Hoseok, and saw how happy the little guy was making him, he wanted to spoil the kitten even more. That decision was currently coming back to bite him. As they were about to leave the store, Minhyuk looked at the sheer amount of things he bought for the kitten, and realized he physically couldn't carry everything on his own, when he turned around to communicate that fact to Hoseok, he saw the latter already leaving the store with the kitten still in his hands, cooing incessantly. He called out to Hoseok, but the boy didn't hear him and continued walking. Minhyuk hurried to the back and begged Jooheon and Hyungwon to help him carry everything, Jooheon agreed quickly but Hyungwon flat out refused, saying the 20 minute walk to Hoseok's house would cut too deeply into his nap time. He was even going to swallow his pride and ask Kihyun for help, but the hamster-like man seemed to know exactly was he was planning to say, and flipped him off as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Hamsters don't carry bags."

"Are you still on that?!"

* * *

 

Hoseok was completely oblivious to the fact that he hadn't bought anything for his new companion (well technically he did, he just wouldn't know until he got his credit card bill at the end of the month), or that he's left the person that took him to get the wonderful little creature behind.  He carefully shifts the sleeping kitten to one hand as he unlocks the door to his house, moving relatively slowly for fear of waking the kitten, once inside he closed to door behind him. He face contorted from a gentle smile to one of confusion as he tried to figure out how he was going to take his shoes off with one hand without jostling the little angel. He looked around for a solution for a bit, before deciding to grab one of the hoodies hanging on the coat rack in the front entrance. He threw the fabric to the ground and arranged it in a way he though would be comfortable. He then slowly and carefully placed the small kitten onto it, praying that he wouldn't wake up. Thankfully he didn't, he just stretched a bit and took a deep breath. Hoseok proceeded to remove his shoes as he stared at the animal wondering what to do with it next, he couldn't very well just stare and coo at it all day, as tempting as the thought was. His eyes widened and he cursed silently as he realized that he had absolutely nothing he needed to properly care for this kitten. He sat next to the ball of fabric and fuzz and pulled his phone out of his pocket, opening his conversation with Minhyuk.

**me:**

_Minhyuk!!_

_I really screwed up man I need your help_

**Minhyukkie:**

_oh_

_OH_

_look who decided to remember that I exist_

**me:**

_Minhyuk I'm sorry :(_

_you know I didn't mean it_

_it's just..._

_the kitten_

_he's so cute_

_I've known him for like 2 hours and I'm in love_

_look at him_

_{file attachment.jpg}_

**Minhyukkie:**

_OMO~~_

_HOW CAN SOMETHING SO EVIL BE SO CUTE??_

**me:**

_Stop he's not evil_

_just misunderstood_

**Minhyukkie:**

_That was the softest thing I've ever heard you say <3_

_i am weak_

_I am soft_

**me:**

_soft enough to buy me some cat food?_

_I don't wanna leave him alone yet_

**Minhyukkie**

_as cute as that is_

_I dropped all the supplies I BOUGHT for YOUR cat at my house_

_I'm at Joohoney's house right now~~ <3_

_we're watching a movie ;)_

_so you're gonna have to wait till tomorrow_

**me:**

_What??_

_Seriously?_

_You're gonna watch a movie all night?_

**Minhyukkie**

_um.._

_no yeah_

_totally_

_"watching a movie all night"_

_yup_

_listen I gotta go_

_Joohoney is waiting for meeee~~~_

_Good luck with your demon spawn_

**me:**

_wait!_

_Minhyuk!_

_yah!_

_answer your phone!_

* * *

 

Hoseok sighed heavily and flopped down onto his back on the floor, covering his face with his arm as he tried to figure out what to do. He didn't realize he roused the kitten as he continued to lay there and contemplate his friendship choices. The kitten cocked it's head to the side, confused as to why his owner was laying on the ground, he totted over to Hoseok's ear and sniffed it before carefully stretching out his tiny paw and batting at the little stud in Hoseok's ear. The action caused Hoseok to scream and move rapidly to the side, slamming his forehead into the wall.

"Ahhh...that really hurt." he groaned as he layed back down and looked to the kitten at his side, surprisingly the kitten wasn't startled by Hoseok's outburst and he simply wormed his way closer to Hoseok's face and placed a little lick on the red spot on his forehead with his rough tongue. Hoseok stared at the kitten for a few seconds before cooing and petting his head softly. "You're so freaking adorable! I don't know how much more of this my heart can take." He stopped petting the animal and sat up, still keeping eye contact with him. The kitten decided to waltz into Hoseok's lap and sit down, they stared at each other for a bit before the kitten began mewling particularly loudly. "Ahh, what's wrong I.M.?" Hoseok questioned frantically, speaking loudly over the kitten's crying. He thought for a second before having a light bulb moment and speaking up again, "Are you hungry?" the kitten immediately stopped making noise and looked Hoseok directly in the eyes before jumping out of his lap and sprinting to the kitchen, beginning to cry again until he saw Hoseok get up and follow him.

Hoseok looked in his refrigerator for something appropriate to feed the kitten until he could get him some cat food. He stumbled upon a can of tuna and figured that would be good enough for now. He took the can out of the fridge and opened it quickly, mixing it around a bit before placing it next to the kitten on the floor, and turning his attention back to the fridge, grabbing a container of mixed fruit for himself and sitting at the table. He ate a few pieces before looking down to see how the kitten was doing and became concerned when he was looking back at him instead of eating his food. "What is it bud? You don't like tuna?" He asked. The kitten looked at the food, then at the table, and then back at Hoseok. Hoseok tilted his head to the side questioningly and said, "You want to eat at the table?" to which the kitten mewled happily. Hoseok put both the kitten and the food on the tabletop and the kitten finally began eating the food.

The rest of the day, went by smoothly. Hoseok thought it was weird that the kitten seemed to understand everything he said, and was very human-like in terms of his gestures. He talked to the kitten about his daily life and everything else he could think of, and instead of seeming disinterested as cats normally are unless they are benefiting from the situation somehow, the kitten would listen to him intently, sometimes it seemed like the kitten was even nodding along, but Hoseok quickly dismissed it as his imagination. Later that night Hoseok noticed that the kitten had nodded off in his lap while they watched a movie so he decided it was time for them to go to bed. He cradled the kitten in his arms and walked them to his bedroom depositing the kitten in the makeshift bed he had made for it out of a box and a few sweatshirts. Hoseok had already brushed his teeth and changed earlier, so after putting the kitten down he just turned off the light and got into bed, falling asleep faster than he had in months. Hoseok awoke a few hours later to the kitten crying once again, he sat up groaning and flicked on the lamp next to his bed, squinting sleepily in the kitten's direction."I.M. come on, it's so late why are you crying?" The kitten just responded by mewling even louder so Hoseok grumbled and got out of bed, walking over to the kitten and picking him up. The kitten squirmed out of his hands and jumped into Hoseok's bed, crawling over to one of the pillows and curling up on it and purring contentedly. "Yah! I.M. you cannot sleep in my bed. You have your own." The kitten lifted his head to look at the makeshift bed, huffed and laid back down.  _Did a kitten just roll its eyes at me and give me attitude? He acts like so human-like...no no Hoseok that doesn't even make sense it's just a cat._ Hoseok sighed, and decided he wasn't gonna argue with a freaking cat and got back into bed next to his sassy kitten. Once he got comfortable the kitten crawled up on his chest, making up his mind to sleep there. "Yah...I.M." Hoseok breathed out and the kitten seemed to be glaring angrily at him. "What? Do you not like that name?" The kitten responded with a meow that sounded suspiciously like a no. Hoseok raised an eyebrow but closed his eyes as the desire to sleep washed over him. Before falling asleep for the night he whispered out a few more words.

"Tell me what your name is and I'll call you that instead..."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 3 guys! Sorry if it's not as interesting but I kinda wanted to establish the dynamics between Hoseok and I.M. Let me know what you think in the comments and if I should keep going! The next chapter should be a lot more fun! If I can't get it out by tomorrow night I probably won't be able to get it out until the end of the week, I have some job and family things to attend to. Hope you like it!


	4. Why Are You Naked??!

"Changkyun."

 "Huh?" Hoseok replied grogily. He was still half asleep and it hadn't yet registered to him yet that since he was the only one in this house, well the only human in the house, that no one should have been saying anything to him. As he slowly began to break free from the clutches of sleep, he felt a weight and warmth resting on his waist.

He subconsciously stayed in the same position all night to avoid rolling over on the kitten. He also felt a repetitive kneading on his chest, but because he still hadn't opened his eyes, he didn't notice that the things touching his bare chest were most definitely not the tiny paws of his beloved kitten, but something much larger and not covered in soft black fur. Plus whatever it was felt really good and he wasn't sure he wanted it to stop. Something furry was however, swiping back and forth across his legs, and it was beginning to get a bit ticklish, but he still couldn't find the energy to open his eyes. The figure on top of him was getting a tad frustrated by the lack of response from the man, so he decided to speak again.

 "I said, my name is Changkyun. You said you'd call me by my name if I told you what it was so I'm telling you." A soft, but very deep voice responded to Hoseok's kinda sorta question, that was honestly more of an acknowledgement of hearing that something was said to him than anything else.

 "Mm, sure okay, whatev--" he starts before his eyes fly open and all semblence of sleep disappears rapidly. He takes in the sight of a man, seeming to be a few years younger than him, pretty much sitting in his lap. While he admits that the man is insanely attractive, he can't help but notice that there are some inhuman things about him. His one green and one blue eye remind him a something he can't quite put a finger on in his mounting state of panic. The man also has 2 fluffy black ears sticking out of his sleek but soft looking, strikingly black hair. When he manages to tear his eyes away from the man's face, he sees a long, black, furry tail swishing out to the man's left, softly brushing against Hoseok's legs in the process. Surprisingly, the most startling part of all these discoveries Hoseok was making in the past few minutes, weren't about the man having cat ears and a tail, or the fact that there was a stranger in his house at all. No, the part of this situation that caused Hoseok to scream and flail, (scaring the cat man enough to move from his position on top of Hoseok, but not completely off the bed), was the realization that this man was completely naked.

 In all of his flailing Hoseok had managed to launch himself out of the bed and onto the floor. He scrambled to untangle himself from the covers and scooted as far as he could into the corner of the room. He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs, insisting on keeping his eyes completely shut in the process.

 "Why the hell are you naked?!" He shouted, though the volume was muffled into the fabric of his sweatpants.

 "Really? You're talking to a human-cat hybrid right now and that's the first question you wanna ask?" Changkyun asks, genuinely confused.

 "Oh I have plenty of questions! But I really don't think I can ask anything else until you cover yourself up!"

 "Humans are so dramatic..." Changkyun mutters as he gets off the bed and pulls the black sweatsuit from the box Hoseok had made "his bed" out of as Hoseok continued to keep his eyes closed. "And I can't believe you were gonna let me sleep all by myself in that box! I was so lonely when I woke up!" He protested as he put the clothes on, struggling a bit to figure out which limb goes in what hole, and not noticing that he put the shirt on backwards. He sagged the back of the sweatpants slightly so his tail wouldn't be restricted by the fabric. "Alright I'm dressed, can we talk like adults now?"

 "Yes we can," Hoseok started as he opened his eyes but refused to move from the corner, "Though I don't know how the hell you got into my house or why I have to politely entertain a conversation with you?"

 "You brought me here, how else would I have gotten in?" Changkyun questioned, irritation seeping into his voice and his mannerisms. His ears flatened slightly and his tail thumped back in forth at an increased pace. He moved to the side of the room Hoseok was on and sat a few feet away from him on the floor. The scene looked like a repeat of the day yesterday at the shelter, except Hoseok was the (not so) tiny frightened animal in the corner.

 "I think I would remember bringing a grown man into my home. I'm not the type of guy to do a one night stand." Hoseok replied, still looking extremely nervous.

 "Are we seriously gonna do this right now? Look at me. I have ears, and a tail, and don't my eyes seem suspiciously familiar to you?" Changkyun said relatively calmly, but there was a bit of an edge to his voice, most likely annoyance at the accusation of him being an intruder. Hoseok took a few more seconds to take in Changkyun's features again. His eyes widened as his mind finally came to the rather obvious conclusion. He slowly creeped out of the corner towards Changkyun, and after a few seconds of hesistation he reached out a hand to him. He stopped and looked Changkyun in his emerald and saffire colored eyes, as if asking for permission. Changkyun smiled gently and nodded, leaning his head a bit closer to Hoseok's hand, and he immediately began to purr when Hoseok began scratching behind his ear. Changkyun startled Hoseok when he suddenly jumped in his lap and started rubbing his head all over Hoseok's cheek, causing Hoseok to chuckle.

 "Okay, okay that's enough! It tickles!" Hoseok squeals still giggling a bit, "But I still would like to know how this happened, how are you human now....well sort of human I guess?"

 "Honestly your guess is as good as mine. I went to sleep a kitten and woke up like this. I gotta say I like this body better though. It's much easier to cuddle with you!" Changkyun says grinning the whole time.

 Hoseok smiles a small smile at Changkyun before his facial expression turns pensive, "Changkyunnie?" Hoseok starts and Changkyun lifts his head from Hoseok's shoulder, eyes lighting up at the nickname, and aligns his gaze with Hoseok's. "Everyone at the shelter said you were really mean, and they'd been trying to adopt you out for days but you rejected every person that tried to touch you, even the staff. I guess what I'm really trying to ask is...why'd you pick me?" Hoseok asks cautiously.

 Changkyun looks away and contemplates his answer, ears twitching in thought while his tail stops swaying back and forth. "No one else wondered why I acted the way I did. I was scared to death, I was just a tiny little kitten who lost his mom and was picked up by some random person and left on the doorstep of that shelter. Everyone was so big and loud and trying to touch me and pick me up as soon as they saw me, I was just trying to protect myself. But at the same time acting like that just made me feel so lost and lonely. But then you came in, you weren't loud and you didn't expect anything of me, you let me come to you at my own pace. Plus, I could sense that you were lonely and lost too, and I felt like we understood each other...I wanted more than anything to be loved and understood, and I think that's what you want too." He finished softly.

 "Changkyunnie..." Hoseok whispered out, desperately trying to hold back tears. Changkyun saw his wet eyes and panicked.

"Hyung! Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry, please don't cry!"

 "No no, it's okay. I'm just so happy." Hoseok spoke as he wiped away his tears with a smile.

 "Humans cry when they're happy too?! This is so complicated..." Changkyun groaned. Hoseok giggled and patted Changkyun on the head briefly causing him to purr softly. They stayed there silently and enjoyed the moment until Changkyun's stomach growled loudly and startled him. Changkyun jumped up onto the bed and looked around frantically, ears flattening and the fur on his tail standing up. "What the hell was that?!" He shouted, voice trembling a bit.

 Hoseok couldn't help but crack up at Changkyun's outburst, calling him adorable in between laughs, leading to Changkyun pouting and blushing lightly.

 "There's nothing to be scared of Changkyunnie. Your stomach makes that noise when you're hungry." He explained when he calmed down from his laughing fit.

 "Oh..." Changkyun muttered. Still blushing and looking to the side in embarassment and refusing to meet Hoseok's eyes for a minute. When he finally regained his courage his ears went back up and he gave Hoseok a wily smirk. "Your adorable kitten's stomach is growling," he started as he stalked over to Hoseok and invaded his personal space, putting his mouth so close to his ear his lips brushed up against it, causing Hoseok to flinch, "Take responsibility." He purred. Hoseok jerked away and tried to hide the fact that he was flustered with a half-hearted glare.

 "Alright geez...why are you being all weird about it?" He said quietly, more to himself than Changkyun. The moment was interrupted by Hoseok's phone going off, alerting him to a text message. He walked over to the phone and picked it up, Changkyun's gaze following him curiously. When he opened the message he let his phone fall to the floor and his jaw dropped comically. Changkyun only cocked his head at Hoseok's behavior before walking out of the bedroom, complaining about his hunger as Hoseok continued to stand there frozen, thinking about the message.

 

**Minhyukkie**

_Hi Hoseokkieeee~~_

_I'll be over in 15 with the stuff for your cat_

_Joohoney is coming too!_

_See you soon <3_

 

**_How the hell am I supposed to explain Changkyun??_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for this being late! I was planning to update yesterday but ended up coming over and I had to play hostess. And I got up at 5am today to take my mom to the hospital (don't worry she's fine it's cosmetic surgery) so I got very little sleep. I tried to write on the car ride over but doing that makes me car sick so I stopped. Blah blah excuses excuses I am trash. Anyone I'm updating from the waiting room right now! It's not even 10am and it's been such a long day already. I hope the chapter came out okay though! Some kudos and comments telling me your favorite part of the story so far would be greatly appreciated in this trying time lol. I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again. If not tomorrow than I hope to do it by friday!


	5. What is Love?

Hoseok stood there for a moment longer, still trapped in a rush of nonsensical thoughts before they were interrupted by the sound of pots and pans banging around in his kitchen. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair before walking to his kitchen to inspect the mess that Changkyun was no doubt creating. His suspicions were confirmed when his eyes met his kitchen counters. Changkyun had taken every dish out of the cabinets for some reason and if the refrigerator door being opened with Changkyun's right arm on the handle, head in the fridge, butt sticking out, and tail swishing back and forth were any indication, the contents of Hoseok's fridge were about to meet the same fate. He continued to watch Changkyun for a bit longer, a small smile creeping onto his face, out of sheer curiousity about what and how the other was planning on making anything, before Changkyun closed the refrigerator door abruptly and sighed, a cute little pout on his face as he crossed his arms across his chest dramatically. He turned this expression on Hoseok, who was a bit startled by just how adorable the action truly was, and began to speak.

 "Hyung~," Changkyun whined cutely, "There's barely any food in here I'm starving!~~"

 Hoseok couldn't help but smile at the cat hybrid's pout, "I'm sorry Changkyunnie. I guess I need to go shopp-" Hoseok's sentence was interrupted by his doorbell being rung incessantly. The sound had startled Changkyun who was now on top of his counter, with a frying pan in his hand, ears pressed to his head and eyes locked on the door. Normally Hoseok would have found the situation hysterical, but because he still had no idea how to explain this to Minhyuk he knew he needed to act quickly.

 He went behind Changkyun and pushed the back of Changkyun's knees with his hands. This caused Changkyun to shriek, lose his balance and fall backwards into Hoseok's waiting arms. Hoseok proceeded to carry the cat boy bridal style back into the bedroom and he threw him gently onto the bed before walking back to the door and looking back at Changkyun, who looked frightened and confused, and the sight caused some unknown force to pull at Hoseok's heartstrings, so he decided he should quickly explain himself before abandoning Changkyun.

 "Changkyunnie, I'm sorry if I scared you but I need you to stay in this room and be quiet until those two leave." Hoseok spoke carefully. Changkyun's gaze had drifted from Hoseok's eyes to his own lap, as his body language had shifted from alert and scared, to sad and ashamed. When he met Hoseok's gaze again his blue and green eyes had gone from sharp to teary, pupils big and round instead of thin slits. His lower lip had also began to tremble slightly, and Hoseok swore his heart actually shattered into a million pieces. A tear rolled down Changkyun's face before he began talking.

 "Hyung..." He started, voice shaking considerably, "Why do I have to hide from your friends? Are you embarassed by me?" Hoseok panicked immediately and raced over to the bed, sitting next to Changkyun and grabbing his face in his hands, stroking the tears away with his thumbs.

 "No, no Changkyunnie! Of course I'm not embarrassed! You're the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. It's just that I need figure out how to explain to Minhyuk that my kitten is a human now without him thinking I'm completely insane. You have to admit the situation is a bit weird. But I could never ever be ashamed of you. I just want to make sure you're safe. Not that I think Minhyuk would hurt you, I just need this to go as smoothly as possible. So can you just stay here until I ask you to come out? I promise I'll take you out to get something tasty afterwards, okay?"

 "Okay..." Changkyun offered weakly as he pulled away from Hoseok's grasp a bit, wiping the remainder of his tears on his sleeve before moving back to Hoseok and rubbing his face against his chest, purring quietly. Hoseok smiled and rubbed behind Changkyun's ears for a bit, getting lost in the moment before the doorbell began ringing again, startling Changkyun for a second time. Hoseok pulled away from Changkyun and smiled at him.

 "I'll be back soon." He promised before shutting the door behind him and walking to the front door to let Minhyuk and Jooheon in. Little did he know Changkyun had stalked over to the bedroom door, pressing his ear against it in an attempt to hear the conversation between Hoseok and his friends.

 As soon as Hoseok opened the door Minhyuk bursted in with countless bags in his hands, kicking off his shoes quickly as he shoved past Hoseok. Jooheon entered shyly after him with just as many bags, setting them aside and bowing slightly before leaning down to untie his shoes.

 "Jeez Hoseokkie, why does it always take you so damn long to open your door? Your house isn't that big." Minhyuk grumbles as he falls dramatically onto Hoseok's couch.

 "Hello to you too, Minhyuk." Hoseok replies, completely ignoring the other's question. Minhyuk responds by sticking his tongue out at the other, his default comeback, as Jooheon looks back and forth between the two, still standing at the door awkwardly. "Jooheon-ah, you can come in, you don't have to stand there." Hoseok says with a small smile that Jooheon returns as he comes in and sits next to Minhyuk.

 "Why does Jooheon get a nicer greeting than I do? You just met him yesterday and I've known you forever!"

"Jooheon is polite, unlike you."

 "You know, I dragged this crap for your cat all the way from the shelter, with no help from you, and this is how you thank me? With disrespect?"

 "Jooheon did the same thing and I don't hear him complaining."

 Minhyuk flashed Hoseok a scandalized look before looking away with a pout on his lips, "How rude..." Hoseok just laughed as he walked toward his kitchen and grabbed a few water bottles for the three of them. He glanced guiltily at his bedroom door before turning around and walking back to the front room and handing the water bottles to Minhyuk and Jooheon who mumbled their thanks.

 Hoseok unscrewed the cap from his bottle and began drinking the water, as he looked at Minhyuk from over the bottle, he noticed Minhyuk looking at him rather seriously which is very uncommon for the boy. He coughed lightly as some of the water went down the wrong pipe, he then cleared his throat before addressing Minhyuk.

 "Why the hell are you staring at me like that?" Hoseok questioned a bit defensively. Jooheon noted the tension and became a little uncomfortable as he tried to diffuse it with his words.

 "Uh Hoseok-hyung, where's I.M.?"

 "He's in the bedroom sleeping, and his name is Changkyun." Hoseok responded quickly, eyes never leaving Minhyuk's. Jooheon shifted uncomfortably and looked away from the two.

 "Oh...okay." He trailed as he decided to take out his phone to distract himself from the other two.

 "Hoseok we need to talk." Minhyuk finally voiced.

 "About what?" Hoseok inquired innocently though he had a feeling he knew exactly where this conversation was going.

 "About her."

 That was Hoseok's cue to get up and walk towards the kitchen. He ignored Minhyuk's last statement and began putting away all the pots and dishes that Changkyun had taken out in an attempt to distract himself. Minhyuk followed after him while Jooheon stayed on the couch giving the others their space. Minhyuk sat at a stool near the island while Hoseok busied himself with the dishes.

 "You can't keep hiding from me Hoseok. You need to talk about this. I've never seen you let a relationship ending tear you up for this long. I know you loved her but you loved your other girlfriends too and you didn't sulk for this long, why was she different?"

 Hoseok slammed a dish into sink at the end of Minhyuk's rant and a piece of glass had scratched his hand and he was bleeding but he didn't do anything about it. Minhyuk saw this and came around the counter, reaching for Hoseok but he pulled away, still refusing to meet Minhyuk's eyes. His bleeding hand was curled into a trembling fist and his head was pointed toward the kitchen floor. Minhyuk swore he saw a tear fall to the ground but Hoseok's voice was shockingly stable as he spoke quietly.

 "It was different...you wanna know why? Because there is absolutely nothing I could have done to stop her from leaving. I don't look back on the past and think _maybe she'd still be here if I did this differently,_ because she told me it wasn't my fault, that I did everything perfectly. That I loved her in such a beautiful way...but it was a way that she couldn't handle or reciprocate. She said she felt guilty, everytime she stepped in this house and saw a little gift or a bouquet of flowers that I had left for her, because she knew no matter how hard she tried she couldn't love me the same way I loved her. She found somebody else, someone who awakened things in her that I never did, made her feel in ways I couldn't no matter how hard I tried. The other breakups were different because if I had done something or not done something than I could've saved them. Or it was a mutual decision. I'm not inadequate, but at the same time I wasn't enough for her. It's a paradox and no matter what I do, that'll always be a fact. I don't know how to move on from that...knowing that at any moment the person you love can leave, to no fault of your own and there's nothing you could've done to make them stay. If I can't blame her and I can't blame me then what the hell am I supposed to do..." He rambled before dissolving into sobs covering his face with one hand as the bloody hand gripped the front of his shirt over his chest.

 Minhyuk put his hand on Hoseok's shoulder but he pulled away once again. He removed his hand from his face but still refused to look Minhyuk in the eye. He looked over in the direction of Jooheon but didn't make eye contact with that boy either, before allowing a small, fake smile to grace his features.

 "I'm sorry, Jooheon, Minhyuk, I don't mean to kick you out but I really can't do this right now...I need to be alone."

 "I understand..." Minhyuk said quietly, sadness seeping into his tone, "I'll let you have some time, but I'm coming back tomorrow. Jooheonnie, let's go."

 "Ah okay..." Jooheon answered nervously. He and Minhyuk walked to the front door and put on their shoes. Minhyuk opened the door for Jooheon and he walked out. Minhyuk spared one more sad glance at Hoseok before closing the door behind him. Hoseok sighed as soon as the door closed and walked over to his couch, flopping down on it unceremoniously. He covered his face with his arm and kept his still bleeding hand in his lap. Changkyun chose this moment to come out of the bedroom slowly. He creeped into the kitchen and grabbed a clean hand towel before walking over to Hoseok. He sat down cross legged on the coffee table in front of him. Hoseok peeked from under his arm and glanced at Changkyun, noting that while the cat boy had a neutral expression on his face, his downcast ears and still tail gave away his sad demeanour. He threw another fake smile at Changkyun before sitting up and looking him in the eye.

 "I assume you heard all of that." Hoseok said rather than asked.

 "Mm.." Changkyun replied softly, reaching for Hoseok's injured hand, and wrapping the towel around it when Hoseok didn't retreat. He held it with both of his hands and applied a small amount of pressure. He didn't know anything about how to care for a wound and this was all he could think of to solve the problem. He stubbornly kept his gaze on the towel, not knowing what to say.

 "So, I bet you think I'm pathetic now right..." Hoseok stated, eyes moving toward the direction of the door. Changkyun was startled by the comment and his gaze went to Hoseok's face, heartstrings pulling when he saw the emotion in his face.

 "Of course I don't!" He answered quickly, Hoseok didn't meet his gaze nor did he respond to the comment. Changkyun tried to figure out how to express his feelings to Hoseok in a way that made sense, and eventually started speaking again. "Hyung what's your favorite kind of ice cream?"

 "What? Why are you asking me that now?" Hosoek questioned, genuinely confused by the change of topic.

 "Just answer the question."

 "I don't know...I guess strawberry."

 "So if you had to choose between chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, what would you choose?"

 "Probably strawberry."

 "Would you think someone else was wrong if they chose vanilla or chocolate?"

 "No? Everybody has different preferences. It doesn't make anyone right or wrong."

 "I feel like love can work the same way."

 Hoseok couldn't help but chuckle at Changkyun's childish metaphor but encouraged him to continue anyway.

 "I think there are many different ways to love someone, and people have different preferences on how they want to be loved. I'm not saying she was right to cheat on you, but just like it doesn't make her wrong for not wanting your type of love, you are also not wrong for loving people that way. I think you're stuck on this because you want there to be something you could change to make yourself better. But it's not about that, you just weren't right for her and that's okay but you're gonna be perfect for someone else, hyung...whoever that may be." Changkyun finished, voice trailing off at the end. Hoseok stared at Changkyun for a few seconds, astounded at the wisdom that came from a kitten that has only been human for a few hours. Changkyun blushed at the intensity of Hoseok's gaze and looked away.

 "Changkyunnie..." Hoseok said softly, "How are you doing this? How do you know exactly what to say to make me feel better?"

 "I just said the truth..." Changkyun mumbled, embarassed. He was startled when Hoseok suddenly wrapped his arms around him but quickly relaxed into the embrace and returned the hug. When he pulled away Hoseok saw that he was pouting once again.

 "What's wrong Changkyunnie?" He asked in a concerned tone.

 "I'm hungryyyyy~" Changkyun whined. He layed back on the coffee table dramatically and knocked the magazines off in the process.

 Hoseok laughed loudly and smiled at the cat boy. "Okay, okay! I'll order something for today and we can go to the store together tomorrow okay?"

 "Okay!" Changkyun responded happily.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the wait for this chapter! My mom is requiring a lot more care than I initially expected so I've been busy taking care of her! I hope this chapter is okay! I'm not sure if I explained the reason for Hoseok to be hung up on his break up properly but I hope you understand. I'm not sure how many more chapters this will be since I haven't decided how I want it to end yet! Please let me know what you think! I hope to have the next chapter out by tomorrow or the day after!


	6. Ice Cream Flavors

"Changkyun-ah, I'm not taking you anywhere if you don't get in the shower right now." Hoseok sighed as he pushed his hair back in mild frustration.

 "No. I don't wanna." Changkyun replied moodily, crossing his arms across his chest and pouting like a petulant child.

 "You aren't a cat anymore so you can't just lick yourself clean and go about your day."

 "I bet I could if I tri-"

 "Absolutely not!" Hoseok quickly interrupted him, prompting Changkyun to turn his head to the side and put his ears down, "I promise you it's not that bad, it'll literally take ten minutes tops and then we can go outside and do fun things. Don't you wanna go do fun stuff with me?" Hoseok pleaded, as if he was trying to get a toddler to finish their vegetables by promising dessert afterwards.

 Changkyun looked back at Hoseok before quickly looking away again and huffing out a breath of irritation. He uncrossed his arms and looked down at his hands, playing with his fingers nervously as he quietly spoke. "Will you shower with me?" Hoseok froze upon hearing those words and made several unsuccessful attempts to reply, but just sputtered nonsense instead. A raging blush flew across his cheeks as he finally pulled together a semi-coherent response.

 "Changkyunnie, I can't...we can't, that's-humans, we don't just shower together." He stuttered nervously.

 "Why not?" Changkyun asked innocently.

 "Because it's...weird."

 "Why's it weird? We have the same parts don't we?"

 "Well, yeah bu-"

 "So it's not anything you've never seen before."

 "That's not really the point Changkyun."

 "Please~" Changkyun begged, pulling out the cutest look he could muster, ears back, eyes wide and teary with big and round pupils, bottom lip trembling. Hoseok thought his heart was physically trying to work its way out of his chest with how hard it was beating against his ribcage. He looked away from Changkyun, trying incredibly hard not to give into the adorable cat boy, lest he think this kind of behavior is acceptable in the future to get whatever he wants. Changkyun slowly shifted so that he was in front of Hoseok's face again and continued the stare, Hoseok swore it was getting more intense by the second. He covered his own face with both of his hands before sighing dramatically.

 "Changkyunnie...we absolutely cannot shower together." Hoseok started but his heart clenched as Changkyun's body slumped in defeat. He sighed again and continued speaking, "Listen. We'll make a deal. I'll run a bath for you and wash your hair but after that I'm leaving, and you can finish showering on your own. Deal?"

 "Yay!" Changkyun shouted in delight, demeanour immediately changing as he raced toward the bathroom. Hoseok looked up at the ceiling and couldn't help but think that he had just been scammed, yet a small smile still found its way to his face as he walked to the bathroom as well. Changkyun sat on the bathroom counter while Hoseok filled the tub and added bubble bath to the water. Out of boredom, Changkyun rifled through all of the cabinets and drawers, trying to figure out what things were for without asking Hoseok. Hoseok couldn't help but chuckle when Changkyun picked up his eletric toothbrush, flinching a bit when he turned it on, and then gawking at it like it was the eighth wonder of the world. When the tub was filled he turned off the water and plucked the toothbrush from Changkyun's hand, turning it off and putting it back as he spoke.

 "Alright, the bath is done. I'll turn around while you take off your clothes and get in."

 "Okay..." Changkyun replied while Hoseok turned his back to him. It took Changkyun no time to remove the clothes but Hoseok noticed that he hesitated for a few seconds before he heard the water sloshing around, signalling that the younger had finally gotten in. The bubbles obstructed Hoseok's view of most of Changkyun's body (thank the Gods) as he walked over to the tub and sat down on the edge of it. Despite all of his earlier protesting Changkyun seemed to thoroughly enjoy the bath. He didn't particularly care for the way Hoseok dumped water over his head to wet his hair, the hiss following the action making his displeasure perfectly clear, but he purred louder then Hoseok ever thought he could when the older began massaging shampoo into his dark black locks. Hoseok even thought he might have fallen asleep until he tried dumping water over the boy's head again, only to have his wrist snatched before he could complete the action.

 "I think I got it from here hyung." Changkyun uttered grouchily, a bit moody since his nap and massage had been interrupted. Hoseok giggled but conceeded nonetheless.

 "Okay. I'll leave, just pull out the stopper in the drain when your done. There's a towel and a change of clothes on the counter. I'll blow dry your hair and uh, your tail I guess, and then we can head out, okay?" Changkyun made a noise that sounded affirmative so Hoseok took that as his cue to leave. As he closed the door behind him he cupped his face in his hands, feeling the heat radiating from the blush on his cheeks. He wondered why the moment felt so domestic, and so right at the same time before shaking the thoughts from his head and proceeding to get dressed.

 

* * *

 

 Hoseok and Changkyun were walking to his car, the latter pouting once again because Hoseok made him wear a hat and stuff his tail in his sweatpants to hide his feline features. He was able to resist Changkyun's pleading with very little effort since he knew this was a concern of Changkyun's safety, so his comfort was a secondary issue. They got in the car and Hoseok strapped both himself and Changkyun in before pulling out of his driveway and heading to the grocery store.

 Changkyun was absolutely fascinated by the car. He was initially very confused about the fact that they were moving and sitting down at the same time, and he asked a lot of complex questions about cars that Hoseok didn't really have the knowledge to answer before settling down a bit. He pressed his face and the palms of his hands against the window, as his bright, wide eyes took in all the scenery around him. Hoseok couldn't help but smile fondly at the boy's innocence, and he decided to surprise him even more by putting the window down. Changkyun jumped slightly and leaned toward Hoseok and away from the window, presumably a bit frightened, so Hoseok put his hand on the catboy's thigh without looking at him, to provide some reassurance.

 Changkyun looked back at Hoseok briefly before turning his attention back to the newly opened window. He figured that Hoseok would probably be mad at what he was about to do but didn't let that discourage him from acting. He shifted closer to the window, still inside of the car but close enough to let the breeze rush across his face and sweep his hair to the side. He spared one more glance at Hoseok before placing his hands on the edge of the car door and sticking his face and upper body out the window completely, laughing crazily at the rush of excitement it gave him. Hoseok shouted and grabbed Changkyun's arm trying to pull him back into the car so he could close the window, but before he did the wind caused the hat the boy was wearing to fly off of his head and down the highway. Surprisingly, Hoseok didn't say anything, he just dragged the cat boy back into the car and shut the window. The rest of the ride went on in silence, but when Changkyun glanced at Hoseok, he didn't seem all that mad, he just looked like he was thinking about something. Changkyun felt a little guilty about the hat but couldn't help but feel satisfaction since his ears were now free of their confinement, just like he'd planned. Not that he planned on telling Hoseok that any time soon. When they pulled into the parking lot Hoseok turned the car off but didn't make any move to get out of the car, so Changkyun stayed still as well, minus the habit he had of playing with his hands when he was nervous, still expecting Hoseok to scold him for his behavior. After what seemed like hours Hoseok finally spoke, still looking ahead instead of at Changkyun.

 "Changkyunnie," he began, "Do you know where I got that hat from?" Changkyun jumped at the mention of his name, looking at Hoseok and then back down at his hands when the other didn't return his gaze.

 "No..." Changkyun replied carefully.

 "She gave it to me." Hoseok said, still with little to no emotion in his voice.

 "Oh...I'm sorry, hyung. I should have been more care-"

 "No." Hoseok interrupted finally looking at the boy with a small smile on his face. "Don't be sorry, I think I needed that, it feels good. It feels like letting go, even if it's just a little bit." He continued solemnly.

 "Well then, you're welcome! I did it on purpose!" Changkyun replied with unfounded confidence. To which Hoseok responded with a cock of his head and a expression of confusion, causing Changkyun to grin mischeviously before continuing, "It was annoying to wear over my ears, but if I just took it off you'd just make me wear it again, so I figured if I lost it, there's nothing you could do about it."

 "You little brat!" Hoseok shouted with no real anger in his tone. "You do have to wear something to cover your ears though." Hoseok said pensively. His face lit up when he came up with an idea and pulled his hoodie over his head before handing it to Changkyun, who didn't hesistate to put it on. Hoseok then reached over and pulled up the hood, conceling the cat ears. Because the hoodie was so large and baggy on Changkyun's frame, you couldn't notice his ears poking under the fabric. Hoseok smiled in self-satisfaction. "There, that's better. Now let's go shopping!" Changkyun just grinned happily in reply, burying his nose in the fabric and inhaling Hoseok's scent secretly.

 The shopping trip went off without a hitch, Changkyun surprised Hoseok by being on his very best behavior. He was still noticeably curious about everything around him, his wide eyes and endless questions giving him away, and he insisted on riding on the end of the cart Hoseok was pushing around. But he never touched anything or asked Hoseok to buy him anything, satisfied with gazing at everything in childish wonder. Hoseok decided to reward him afterward by taking him to get ice cream, but he didn't tell Changkyun because he wanted him to be surprised.

* * *

 

 Changkyun looked a little confused when they stopped at another shop instead of going straight home. He couldn't really read so he initially didn't know where they were, and Hoseok was being really secretive and refused to say anything. But when Changkyun saw the ice cream paintings on the door to the shop, he began bouncing up and down and turned around to look Hoseok in the eye, smiling widely before grabbing Hoseok's hand and dragging him into the store, receiving no resistance from the latter. When they got up to the counter Changkyun let go of Hoseok and pressed his face on the glass looking at all the different colorful bins full of ice cream, he couldn't read the labels but it was pretty obvious that there were so many flavor options. He looked back at Hoseok, practically vibrating with excitement.

 "Hyung! Look, look! There are so many kinds!" He whispered loudly, as if it were a secret no one else could know.

 "I know! Which one do you want?" Hoseok replied, unable to keep the giant smile from his face, Changkyun's unbridled happiness infecting him as well.

 "I don't know what the flavors are. I can't read." Changkyun said simply.

 "You can't read? Why not?" Hoseok asked innocently.

 "Well I was a cat two days ago, why would I know how to read?"

 "That's fair, guess we'll have to work on that." Hoseok decided before reading all of the flavors to Changkyun and explaining what was in each one. Changkyun ended up picking cotton candy and Hoseok chose strawberry shortcake. They moved to the side to make room for other customers while they waited for their orders.

 "Hyung," Chankyun spoke up randomly, "If you could be any ice cream flavor what would you be?"

 "I don't know Changkyun, I'm not sure it really matters what flavor you are if someone's gonna eat you." He replied without thinking. Changkyun began playing with his fingers and biting his lip as a blush crossed his cheeks before he spoke up again.

 "I would be strawberry ice cream." Changkyun said shyly.

 "And why's that Changkyunnie?" Hoseok questioned, not really understanding the point of this turn in the conversation but humoring the boy anyway.

 "Because it's hyung's favorite. I want to be the kind of ice cream that hyung likes best...the one that makes him the happiest, the one he chooses over all the other flavors." Changkyun said suddenly, with a light, innocent smile on his face as he brought his gaze up to Hoseok's. Hoseok had his mouth wide open, staring at Changkyun in disbelief, heart hammering against his chest as he attempted to pull together a reply. Right as he was about to say something a voice came from across the room.

 "Is that Hoseok-hyung?" The voice said and both Hoseok and Changkyun's heads snapped in the direction of the voice, recognizing it instantly. It was Jooheon, but he wasn't alone, he was with Minhyuk, Hyungwon, Kihyun and Shownu. Minhyuk's eyes brightened and his head shot up, locking his gaze with Hoseok's with a big smile making it's way on his face. He jumped up and down waving his hand back and forth as he shouted.

 "Hoseokkie~! Come sit with us!" Minhyuk yelled happily, completely ignoring the other customers that he was no doubt irritating.

 "Oh no..." Hoseok and Changkyun mumbled simultaneously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's yet another chapter! I tried to keep this one lighthearted and silly since the last chapter had too much sad Hoseok for my taste. Let me know in the comments what your favorite part of the story is so far! I'd love to hear it! Expect another update within the next few days! <3


	7. That Sounds Familiar

"Okay, Changkyun we gotta play this cool! I know we're gonna have to tell them about you at some point but we can't do it in public." Hoseok whispered through his teeth to Changkyun, while still smiling and waving in Minhyuk's direction to prevent him from getting suspicious. Changkyun nodded slightly with his gaze pointed at the ground before whispering back.

 "I'll do whatever you say hyung. But what are we gonna do about my eyes? Do some humans naturally have one green and one blue eye?" Changkyun replied, moving his mouth as little as possible so the others wouldn't see them talking.

 "Crap...not that I've ever heard of. Especially not in those particular shades." Hoseok said, temporarily forgetting about the other five boys across the room. He patted his pants pockets as he looked for a solution until his hands came to his neck and he felt the sunglasses hanging off of his shirt collar. "Ah here! Wear these!" He said as he put the sunglasses on Changkyun's face, cheeks turning a bit red as he tried not to think about how good they looked on the cat boy.

 "Isn't it weird to wear sunglasses inside?" Changkyun asked as he adjusted them on his face.

 "A little bit but it's gonna have to do for now. I'll have to think of some reason for all of us to leave soon. Maybe get them to come to the house too."

 "Okay, I'll follow your lead hyung."

 "Here's your ice cream! Have a good day!" One of the employees said to the two nervous boys. They thanked the employee as they took their ice cream and started making their way towards the table, Changkyun trailing behind Hoseok slightly. As soon as Hoseok was remotely close to the table Minhyuk practically leaped into his arms, Hoseok barely managing to save his ice cream as he wrapped an arm around Minhyuk to stabilize the both of them.

 "Hoseokkie!~" Minhyuk screeched into Hoseok's ear as he wrapped his legs around the older boy's waist. "I missed you so much!"

 "Minhyuk you literally saw me yesterday." Hoseok said, attempting to sound exasperated but the smile was audible in his voice.

 "That was yesterday. Today is today." Minhyuk replied matter-of-factly, before removing himself from Hoseok, mood noticeably deflating as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'm sorry about that by the way, I didn't mean to upset you."

 "No don't apologize, I shouldn't have been so sensitive about it. I know you were just trying to help." Hoseok answered with a small smile.

 "Well I must've helped a bit since you actually left your house today without me having to force you!" Minhyuk said, his bright and cheery demeanor bouncing back almost immediately. "And you're with a friend! What's your name?" Minhyuk addressed the young cat boy for the first time.

 Changkyun put his hands behind his back and played with his fingers nervously and took a few small steps until he was somewhat hiding behind Hoseok. He hesistated for a few seconds before speaking quietly. "Uh...hi, my name is Changkyun. It's nice to meet you." Changkyun bowed slightly as he finished introducing himself. One of Jooheon's eyebrows went up when he heard the name but he kept quiet.

 "Ah he's so cute!~" Minhyuk exclaimed as he reached forward and pinched Changkyun's cheeks. Changkyun allowed the action to continue for a short while before pulling back and hiding further behind Hoseok, clutching the back of the older boy's shirt.

 "Yah!" Kihyun grumpily shouted at Minhyuk, "That kid barely knows you and you're putting your hands all over him! Cut it out!" Hyungwon and Jooheon snickered as they listened to Kihyun's scolding, while Shownu just rolled his eyes and continued to eat his ice cream.

 "Okay mom, geez." Minhyuk waved the other boy off and rolled his eyes. "Nice to meet you Changkyun-ah! Feel free to sit with us! A friend of Hoseok's is a friend of ours. Right everyone?" Minhyuk phrased it like it was a question but it felt like there wasn't room to argue, not that anyone planned to. Instead they all nodded as Shownu and Hyungwon got up to bring more chairs to accommodate the two boys.

 They all ate their ice cream and carried on casual conversations until everyone was finished eating. Changkyun didn't participate too much in the conversation but he didn't feel left out by the others, he just didn't know what he should and shouldn't say. He caught Jooheon looking at him curiously in his peripheral, but whenever he made eye contact with the dimpled boy, he would either look away or just smile at him, so Changkyun tried not to think much of it. Hyungwon had questioned Changkyun as to why he was wearing sunglasses, but luckily Hoseok rescued the kitten from trying to pull a respone from thin air, by saying that Changkyun suffers from migranes and sometimes bright light triggers them so he wore sunglasses while he was out to be safe. It was a bit of a stretch in Changkyun's opinion but everyone seemed to accept it without further question. Everyone got up and threw away their trash, preparing to go their seperate ways before Hoseok called for everyone's attention.

 "Would you all want to come back to my house and hang out for a bit? I know I don't know you all super well but..." Hoseok's voice trailed off as he tried to come up with an excuse. His gaze shifted to Chankyun and a fond smile crept onto his face before he continued, "You were all a part of bringing such a precious being in my life and...he's really helping me finally start to heal, and I don't know, I want to get to know you all better."

 "That's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard." Kihyun mumbled under his breath but his eyes seemed a bit wet despite his snarky comment.

 "How can you act so tough with tears in your eyes? Such a tsundere." Hyungwon chuckled after glancing at Kihyun.

 "I promise he's really sweet under all that bravado." Shownu added as he wrapped an arm around Kihyun's shoulder. The shorter boy made a half-hearted attempt to shrug the arm off before shifting further into the contact. Hoseok and Changkyun noticed the behavior but said nothing about it.

 "Minhyuk-hyung are you crying too?" Jooheon questioned the white-haired boy, smile blatantly obvious in his voice as he patted the older boy's back. Minhyuk hid his eyes into the crook of his elbow, voice sounding shaky as he spoke up.

 "I'm not crying, it's just allergies." He lied as he continued to wipe the tears away.

 "Since when do you have allergies?"

 "Shut up!"

* * *

 

Luckily, the other five boys had walked to the the ice cream shop and Hoseok had an SUV so all the boys fit in his car. Shownu sat in the passenger seat next to Hoseok and they talked about their respective work out routines. Kihyun, Hyungwon and Minhyuk sat in the middle row, Minhyuk and Kihyun bickered back and forth the entire way home and Hyungwon was really regretting the choice he made to sit in between the both of them. Changkyun and Jooheon sat in the back row, leaving the seat in between them empty. Changkyun wasn't really paying anyone any mind as he gazed out of the window, watching all of the scenery race by and getting lost in his own thoughts until Jooheon tapped him on the shoulder. Changkyun jumped a bit at the unexpected contact before turning his head in Jooheon's direction and waiting for him to speak.

 "You said your name was Changkyun, right?" Jooheon asked the cat boy innocently.

 "Uh, yeah..." Changkyun replied, feeling nervous all of sudden but not understanding why. Jooheon turned his gaze to the front as a smile came to his face, he released a breath of disbelief before continuing.

 "You know what's funny," Jooheon started, shifting his eyes back to Changkyun, lowering his voice to prevent anyone else in the car from hearing them, "Hoseok told me his kitten's name is Changkyun. Then he suddenly shows up in the ice cream shop with a friend that Minhyuk has never met, and his name just happens to also be Changkyun." Changkyun's eyes widened comically behind his sunglasses before he quickly schooled his facial expression, he took a breath and cleared his throat before responding.

 "Is that so?" He said in the most nonchalant tone he could muster.

 "Are you really gonna play dumb?" Jooheon questioned with a smirk on his face.

 "I don't know what you're talking about." Changkyun answered turning his head back to his window.

 "Listen it's fine, I'm not gonna rat you out to everyone. I'm just excited that I figured this out before anyone else." Jooheon said proudly with a giant smile on his face.

 "Really?" Changkyun asked skeptically, "Why aren't you freaking out right now?"

 "Minhyukkie told me the underneath all that muscle Hoseok-hyung is a scaredy-cat." Jooheon covered his mouth with his hands and soon as the sentence came out, before removing his hands and continuing frantically. "Sorry! Is that offensive to say?"

 "I don't know, should I be offended?" Changkyun asked cocking his head to the side.

 "That's up to you. Anyway, if Hoseok-hyung isn't afraid of you then I don't see any reason to freak out. I think it's insane that something like this could happen but you seem to be making him happy." Jooheon stated it as if it made the most sense in the world.

 "To be fair Hoseok-hyung completely lost it when he saw me for the first time." Changkyun revealed and finally relaxed before asking Jooheon a question. "How do you think the others are going to react?"

 "Well since we have Kihyun-hyung and Minhyuk-hyung are here I assume it's gonna be really dramatic." Jooheon answered honestly. "Either way, I'm here for the tea. I'll sit back and watch this all unfold."

 "You're here for the tea? I don't think Hoseok bought any tea." Changkyun said innocently, with a look of utter confusion on his face. Jooheon couldn't help but smile fondly at how adorable the younger boy was, instantly understanding why Hoseok was so taken by him, before grabbing Changkyun's shoulder and speaking to him once more, laughter audible in his sentence.

 "Changkyun-ah, please never change."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I'd give you an excuse but I can't come up with a lie lol. If I say that the vlives and gym selfies Wonho has been blessing us with have been distracting me you'll all understand right?? Plus the first episode of Monsta X Ray season 3 came out and I had to watch it 10 million times to make sure I saw everything! I'm thinking there are gonna be 2 or 3 chapters total after this. Maybe I'll write a sequel if it's requested enough. Or I'll write some requested works if people want that. Lemme know in the comments what you think! Comments make me happier than kudos tbh <3


	8. Shots and Shocks

Everyone filed into Hoseok's home one after the other, taking off their shoes before entering completely. Shownu and Changkyun took it upon themselves to carry in the groceries the cat boy had gotten with Hoseok earlier in the day, and after they brought the bags to the kitchen Hoseok insisted that Shownu go make himself comfortable in the living room while Changkyun helped him to put away the groceries. Once it was apparent that the other five boys weren't going to interrupt, Hoseok and Changkyun began to talk in low voices among themselves.

 "So now that everyone is here, how exactly should we go about telling them?" Changkyun questioned the older boy while seating himself on top of the kitchen counter as Hoseok put away the last few grocery items. The cat boy fixed his gaze on his hands as he played with his fingers anxiously. He didn't know why he still felt so nervous despite recieving such a positive reaction from Jooheon. He was also confused as to why he felt he shouldn't tell Hoseok that Jooheon already knows his true identity. It wasn't that he was afraid to tell the older boy or that he didn't trust him, but something was telling him that it wasn't really necessary to bring it up so he didn't. Despite all this he was still very nervous to tell the other boys. Hoseok seemed to notice his internal conflict, so he came over and grabbed Changkyun's fidgety hands.

 "Look at me." He refused to continue until Changkyun met his eyes from behind the sunglasses he was still sporting. "I feel like we're both making a bigger deal out of this than we should. The only one out of that group that I really know is Minhyuk, but I don't think he would surround himself with people that would try to hurt you after finding out who you are." Hoseok spoke to the younger boy so softly that Changkyun couldn't help but relax and trust Hoseok's word. The two got lost in the moment, Hoseok still holding Changkyun's hands as they stared into each other's eyes fondly. They didn't even notice when Jooheon walked into the kitchen, he watched the pair with a smirk on his face before clearing his throat to interrupt the moment. The two jumped apart from each other at the sound and Hoseok stared at Jooheon with wide eyes as a blush crawled to his cheeks.

 "Sorry for interrupting whatever it is that was going on here, but Minhyuk-hyung told me to come get you guys. He wants to play a drinking game with everyone." Jooheon stated, holding back his laughter at the sight of embarrassment on the faces of the other two boys.

 "How are we playing a drinking game? I don't have any alcohol?" Hoseok questioned with confusion rapidly replacing the embarrassment that was written on his face only seconds ago. Changkyun just looked at both boys with a puzzled expression, not really understanding what a drinking game was.

 "Shownu-hyung had just bought some before we got ice cream and when Minhyuk-hyung saw the bag he insisted on the game." Jooheon explained. Hoseok just sighed, accepting defeat immediately.

 "Alright fine. I guess there's no harm since none of you drove here. You can just spend the night or call an Uber if you wanna leave earlier." Hoseok conceeded.

 "Cool! I'll go tell everyone!" Jooheon replied excitedly before quickly making his way back to the living room. Hoseok was about to follow him when he saw Changkyun still sitting on the counter looking incredibly confused.

 "Hyung, what's a drinking game? Also what's alcohol?" Changkyun asked innocently causing Hoseok to chuckle as he beckoned for Changkyun to follow him.

 "Alcohol is what makes it a game."

* * *

 

Everyone got settled in Hoseok's living room, sitting in a circle around the coffee table. A shot glass full of vodka was placed in front of each person. Kihyun had decided that they should start off with a simple game of never have I ever, and then move on to something else once everyone was at least tipsy. Changkyun tapped Hoseok on the shoulder while the shots were being poured to ask what never have I ever was, and Hoseok leaned over and whispered the rules of the game to Changkyun. He informed Changkyun that he definitely didn't have to play if he felt uncomfortable, but the cat boy wasn't one to back down from a challenge before he even tried. The two were so absorbed in the conversation that they didn't notice Minhyuk eyeing them curiously.

 The game was about to start as Minhyuk and Kihyun played rock paper scissors to decide who got to ask the first question. Shownu had tried to convince the two competitive boys that it literally doesn't matter who starts first, but they completely ignored him in favor of their passionate rivalry. While this was happening, Changkyun took a sniff of his shot out of curiosity, only to flinch back violently and cover his mouth with a hand in shock, causing Jooheon to burst into unbridled laughter while Hyungwon chuckled quietly to himself. Hoseok fought valiantly to keep the smile off his face when Changkyun directed a pout in his direction.

 Minhyuk eventually beat Kihyun leaving the other sulking to himself (not that he'd admit it, even if you paid him) so he asked the first question. He decided to blatently target Hoseok with his first move.

 "Never have I ever..." He trailed off as he thought of what to say, and his eyes brightened and widened exceptionally as before he continued. "Lived in this house!" He finished, feeling an unfounded amount of self satisfaction. Hoseok rolled his eyes, as he picked up his shot.

 "Really, I invite you to my home out of the kindness of my heart and this is how we're gonna play?" He said in mock annoyance, though a smile could be seen pulling at the corner of his lips. Minhyuk just snickered and gestured for Hoseok to take the shot, which he did with little difficulty. Changkyun was watching Hoseok trying to build up courage to drink his own shot, and he felt better after Hoseok took his so easily. As Minhyuk was refilling Hoseok's glass, Changkyun knocked back his own and while he did succeed in swallowing it, the burn in his throat and chest from the alcohol left the poor boy sputtering. Jooheon chuckled lightly as he rubbed Changkyun's back while Hoseok looked at him with worry. "Are you okay Changkyun?"

 "Mm...I'm fine, hyung." He replied hoarsely, coughing one last time before clearing his throat. Hyungwon had been watching the whole scene with confusion, and decided to finally speak up.

 "Wait, Changkyun lives here too? Minhyuk-hyung said Hoseok-hyung lived alone?" He questioned innocently.

 "Yeah, well when I said that it was true." Minhyuk replied voice coated with suspicion.

 "Changkyun has been staying with me for a few days now. It's no big deal. C'mon Kihyun-ah, ask the next question." Hoseok said, praying that his nervousness wasn't seeping into his voice. He answered the question in a way that technically wasn't a lie, but he still felt bad about intentionally deceiving the other boys. Changkyun looked a bit anxious as well, but Jooheon gave his shoulder a supportive squeeze and he relaxed a bit. Kihyun completely ignored the tension in the room, and continued the game, purposefully saying something that would get Minhyuk to drink, anyone else effected was just collateral damage.

* * *

 

This game went on for a while and Changkyun ended up getting way more drunk much faster than the others. One, because he never drank before so everything hit him harder, and two Minhyuk was intentionally targeting him, sort of. He didn't know the boy well enough to adjust his questions to get him out, so he targeted Hoseok instead, and many of his statements were also applicable to Changkyun. After some time, and several shots, he forgot about his goal and just continued the game normally, but Changkyun was already pretty drunk while everyone else was at varying levels of tipsy. Hoseok decided to end the drinking and suggested they play Just Dance for a while. Shownu, Minhyuk, Kihyun and Hyungwon were currently battling while Changkyun, Hoseok and Jooheon sat back and watched. Changkyun in his drunken state had insisted on sitting in Hoseok's lap, and was incessantly rubbing his face against Hoseok's chest and face, causing the older boy to giggle. Hoseok had enough alcohol to prevent him from feeling shame, so he had no intention of telling the boy to stop.

 The round obviously ended with Minhyuk and Kihyun bickering about the results. Hyungwon had gotten first and Shownu second due to their superior dancing skills, so Minhyuk and Kihyun argued about which of them got third, while the other two competitors chuckled and watched in amusement. Changkyun jumped up suddenly, announcing that he had to use the bathroom and raced out of the room, causing Hoseok and Jooheon to snicker. Changkyun was gone for a bit, but since everyone's brains were swimming with alcohol, no one paid it much mind. Hoseok eventually got tired of Minhyuk and Kihyun's fussing and let them all know he was starting another round. This time Hoseok, Jooheon, Kihyun and Shownu played, leaving Minhyuk and Hyungwon to watch. They watched for a bit before Minhyuk got up to use the restroom without announcing his departure. He stumbled to the bathroom, while taking out his phone and scrolling through it, and opened the door without knocking. When he lifted his eyes from his phone he was shocked by the scene in front of him. His phone slipped from his hand and fell to the floor with a clutter. If his jaw wasn't attached to his face it would've met a similar fate to his phone, but instead it just hung open comically as his eyes bulged. He stuttered a few times before finally screaming a semi-coherent response.

 "WHAT THE HELL?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sooo so so so sorry for taking so long to update. Without getting too into detail I was in the hospital for a bit with pneumonia (I didn't know people could even get it in the summer??) But I was there for almost a week and I've been home for a few days now. I could've written if I really tried but I decided to drag myself off of death's doorstep first (I'm still kind of dying but I felt bad for leaving you guys hanging for so long). Anyway I hope you can forgive me for this thrown together chapter. Big reveal happens next chapter and the chapter after that will be a conclusion! Hope you're still liking this enough to see it to the end. As always comments and kudos are greatly appreciated! Hopefully the next chapter will be up within the next few days! <3


	9. The Truth Comes Out

After relieving his body of the copius amounts of alcohol he had consumed that night, Changkyun found himself wanting some time alone. Not because he was overwhelmed by the chaos or disliked the other boys, on the contrary he was actually having a fantastic time, but being the cat that he is he needed a few minutes to decompress. Plus, he was still wearing the sunglasses and the hoodie, and his poor tail was still hidden away in the fabric of his sweatpants, and to be honest, he was over it. As soon as he had gotten into the bathroom he stripped himself of the hoodie and the sweatpants and threw the sunglasses on the counter, leaving him standing in boxer shorts and a t-shirt. He sighed in relief as his ears twitched and his tail swayed back and forth, slowly ridding itself of the stiffness it had accumulated over the day.

 After stretching and letting out a contented mewl he looked around the bathroom for something to get into. His mind wandered back to the beginning of the day when Hoseok forced him to get in the bath, and as much as the cat side of him hates to admit it, he thoroughly enjoyed it, and he really wanted Hoseok to shampoo his hair again. Still feeling the effects of the alcohol and suddenly overwhelmed by the memory of the morning, he immediately decides that the moment needs to be recreated. He sticks the stopper into the drain and starts filling the tub immediately, ears twitching in excitement. He found some bubble bath in the cabinet and dumped half the bottle into the water, his eyes widened and a bright smile came to his face as he watched the bubbles form with childish wonder. Once it was filled he turned off the water and was about to start stripping his clothes to enter the tub, but then he remembered he needed Hoseok to complete the experience, so he started walking towards the bathroom door, still grinning from ear to ear. Right as he placed his hand on the door knob and prepared to turn it, the door opened on it's own causing him to flinch backwards and cover his eyes. He opened them when he heard something fall to the ground and was relieved to see that it was only Minhyuk, until he saw that the other boy didn't feel the same way about seeing him.

 "WHAT THE HELL?" Minhyuk shouted as he raised his hand to point a trembling finger at the confused cat boy staring back at him. "Who are you?" He asked a lot quieter than his initial reaction, but his question was laced with anxiety. Changkyun could only cock his head to the side as his ears twitched. The alcohol in his system wasn't allowing him to grasp the gravity of the situation, so the questions baffled the boy more than anything.

 "Why are you asking me who I am as if I haven't been here the whole night?" Changkyun's face only conveyed innocent confusion as he asked the older boy. Minhyuk dropped his hand and had the gall to look a bit offended at the query, hand coming to his chest dramatically as his jaw dropped once again.

 "What do you mean you've been here the whole time? I think I would've noticed a guy with cat ears and a tail that move too realistically to be fake! I'm not that drunk!" Minhyuk responded defensively, though his facial expression was shifting from offended to concerned. He began patting his cheeks rather hard and whispering to himself about whether he actually was _that drunk_ and had stumbled into hallucination territory. Changkyun brought a hand up stroke one of his ears absent-mindedly as he glanced down at his tail that was swaying back and forth behind him. After finding nothing odd about the situation he looked at Minhyuk with a small smile on his face.

 "Would it make you feel better if I let you touch them?" He said calmly gesturing to his cat ears.

 "I don't know if I'd feel better persay but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious." Minhyuk replied. He was a lot calmer than he was a few minutes ago but Changkyun could tell that he was still nervous. He simply ducked his head down to wordlessly convey to Minhyuk that it was fine to touch him. Minhyuk stared at the boy silently for a few moments before he gained some courage and slowly stretched his hand out until he touched Changkyun's head. His hand glided to the left until it brushed the furry ear, he flinched slightly and hesitated a bit before giving Changkyun's ear a proper scratch. The younger boy was pleased with the contact and nuzzled into the hand, causing Minhyuk to grin widely. It was only when Changkyun began purring that Minhyuk was finally able to put the pieces together. He pulled his hand back quickly, not out of fear, but out of excitement. He clasped one hand over his mouth while using the other to point at the younger boy! "Oh...my gosh!" He said excitedly though the words were muffled by his hand. Changkyun had only whined at the loss of contact as he pouted up at the older boy.

 "Why'd you stop?~" He complained, crossing his arms across his chest and stomping a foot for good measure.

 "You! You're Hoseok's little demon spawn kitten! You're I.M.!"

 "Wow, you're a genius!" The kitten said sarcastically. "I'd give you a sticker but unfortunately I gave my last one to Hoseok-hyung."

 "Rude. I will ignore the sass in favor of my excitement! We have to tell the others!" Minhyuk exclaimed as he grabbed Changkyun's hand and pulled him towards the living room.

* * *

 

(The living room during Minhyuk and Changkyun's convo)

 "Shownu-ssi how are you so good at this game?!" Hoseok shouted with a bit of a pout in his tone. "Nobody ever beats me at this."

 "I'm actually an amateur choreographer so dancing comes naturally to me." Shownu replied simply. "Also there's no need to be so formal, just call me hyung."

 "Shownu-hyung is being modest. He the best dancer in the whole world!" Kihyun added, his cheeks were a bit red and his lisp was even more prominent. He was also shamelessly sitting in Shownu's lap, the alcohol making it impossible for him to keep up his usual facade.

 "I think you might be a little bit biased. Try kissing his ass some more I think I missed it the first time." Hyungwon added snarkily, taking a sip of his beer while Hoseok and Jooheon were cackling at his comment. Kihyun only stuck his tongue out while Shownu chuckled and wrapped his arms around Kihyun and left a kiss on his temple. All the boys were a bit startled when they heard a shout come from down the hall but no one made a move to get up.

 "Do you think that's Minhyuk-hyung's ' _I'm actually in danger'_ scream or the ' _I'm really drunk and feel like screaming'_ scream?" Jooheon questioned nonchalantly as he draped his body over the back of the couch.

 "I vote for his ' _I'm really annoying and loud all the time'_ scream." Kihyun guessed, leaning further into Shownu's hold.

 "That's hilarious coming from the tsundere who claims Minhyuk urks his soul, but still continues to pack an extra lunch before coming to the shelter everyday just in case Minhyuk shows up." Hyungwon shot back just as quickly.

 "Ha! Damn. Exposed." Hoseok snorted, while Jooheon just shook his head fondly. Suddenly Minhyuk raced into the room, tugging a disgruntled looking Changkyun behind him. Jooheon could only raise an eyebrow as he saw the catboy without his cover-up, while everyone else in the room dropped their mouths open dramatically. 

"Did someone say....exposed?" Minhyuk announced outlandishly as he gestured towards Changkyun, who looked unconcerned with the situation.

 Kihyun, Shownu, and Hyungwon just kept looking back and forth between Hoseok and Changkyun. Hoseok blushed violently and gestured for Changkyun to come to him, which the catboy did without a second of hesitation, and Hoseok immediately wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulder. Changkyun was still too drunk be affected by any of this, so he just leaned into the touch and nuzzled Hoseok's neck. Shownu was the first one to compose himself and speak up.

 "Now that I have a good look at him, Changkyun-ah's eyes look really familiar, but I know I've never seen a human with those eye colors." He said, voice laced with an odd combination of confusion and calm.

 "His eyes??!" Kihyun shouted dramatically. "Look at his goddamn ears and tail hyung! That's the weird part!"

 "I mean...that too. But those eyes." Shownu continued, semi-ignoring Kihyun's protests.

 "Jooheon you seem very calm...which is weird because I've seen you get startled by your own shadow." Minhyuk commented suspiciously.

 "First of all, I'm deeply offended by that comment. And second, I already knew about this." He said with little emotion in his voice.

 "How dare you not tell me!" Minhyuk gasped and clutched his chest for dramatic effect, but Jooheon chose to ignore the comment.

 "They look just like the eyes on that kitten Hoseok-hyung took home the other day." Hyungwon supplied easily, quickly becoming disinterested in the dramatic big reveal.

 "Ding ding ding! We have a winner!" Minhyuk screeched. "Now that we've got that out of the way, can you please explain how the hell this happened Hoseok?"

 "I mean, it's a long story..." Hoseok said quietly as he ran his fingers up and down Changkyun's back, triggering near constant purring.

 "We have plenty of time. Now talk." Kihyun demanded. Everyone sat down in a circle and Hoseok told them the entire story.

* * *

 

Hoseok explained the story while holding Changkyun in his lap and stoking his back, and everyone listened attentively. They all agreed to keep it a secret, though Kihyun did say he was gonna figure out how this happened, but promised to keep whatever he figured out between the group. After the big reveal was over, everyone decided to get and uber and go to their separate houses instead of spending the night. Minhyuk and Jooheon were the last to leave, and of course Minhyuk had to make one last comment before he left. Hoseok still had Changkyun in his lap, though the boy had long since fallen asleep and was laying his head on Hoseok's shoulder, slow and even breaths puffing out onto his neck. Minhyuk came to the side of Hoseok the catboy hadn't occupied and whispered into the older boy's ear.

 "Ooo Hoseokkie~~ I didn't know you were into pet play! How kinky!" He said cheekily before running out the door and shutting it behind him, leaving Hoseok sputtering as a blush rushed to his cheeks.

 "Y-yah! Lee Minhyuk!" He shouted even though the boy was long gone. Changkyun groaned at the sudden noise and lifted his head from Hoseok's shoulder, peering at him sleepily.

 "Is everything okay hyung?" The boy asked, voice deep and gravelly with sleep. Hoseok couldn't help the fond smile that came to his face as he reached up and scratched behind his fluffy ears.

 "Everything's fine." He said quietly. "Do you wanna go to bed?"

 "Mmhm. Carry me hyung."

 "Sure, Changkyunnie. Whatever you want."

 Hoseok carried the young cat boy to bed and the two slept, tangled in each other's arms all night long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who was in the hospital again and just got released?! Me! Pneumonia really sucks guys, please please stay healthy! Like I really feel like death is knocking at my door but I don't have the strength to open it for him. And even if I did what happens after that, do I have to give him tea or coffee? Is he gonna look at all my family photos around the house while he waits and make small talk about how I was a cute baby? Anyway I'm fever rambling please ignore.
> 
> More importantly I finally got this chapter out! To anyone still reading thank you for sticking with me! Por favor leave comments telling me your thoughts about this chapter or the whole thing! Also I have no idea what the epilogue will be about so if you have any suggestions let ya diseased shitty author know! <3


	10. Late Night Discoveries

**3 WEEKS AFTER THE PARTY AT HOSEOK'S HOUSE**

"Kihyun-ah you've been at this forever, I wish you would just give it a rest already." Shownu said, unable to keep the exasperation out of his tone. Kihyun continued scrolling through countless websites as he waved Shownu off nonchalantly. He was determined to figure out how exactly Changkyun turned from an evil little kitten that tried to bite the hands that fed him several times, into a cat/human hybrid that wanted some form of physical contact from Hoseok at all times. Kihyun's goal wasn't to expose Changkyun to the world or anything. After interacting with the boy on a few occasions since Hoseok's spontaneous get together, he developed a motherly fondness for the boy that wasn't much different from the affection he had for the rest of the newly formed friendship group. This obsession the hamster-esqe boy was harboring had a lot more to do with his need to know _everything._ He just wanted to understand what was going on and hopefully confirm that there was no chance of Changkyun randomly shifting back into a kitten without warning, as he was sure it would break Hoseok's heart. He's already seen the older boy cry enough when they all watched The Lion King together ( _sure the scene where Mufasa dies is sad but it did not warrant a grown ass man continuing to cry about it 30 minutes after the movie ended_ ) and he had no desire to see it again.

 "I'll stop when I finally figure this out." Kihyun responded several minutes after he was spoken to, eyes never leaving the computer screen. "Just because the rest of you have no problem living in ignorance doesn't mean I have to as well."

 "It's not about living in ignorance, we've all just accepted Changkyun-ah as he is and we don't feel the need to keep shoving the fact that he's different in his face." Shownu replied with a bit of agitation lacing his voice. This finally caught Kihyun's attention and he dragged his eyes away from his computer to meet Shownu's. The older boy was sitting on the bed and broke eye contact with Kihyun and picked up a magazine instead, pretending as if he was actually interested in it. Kihyun sighed, getting up from the computer and walking over to Shownu, who acted as if he was unaware of Kihyun's presence. Kihyun stood there for a few minutes, growing increasingly impatient as Shownu continued to ignore him. When he was fed up of tapping his foot, crossing his arms and sighing loudly whilst continuing to receive no reaction, he grabbed the magazine out of Shownu's hands and chucked it to the other side of the bed. He climbed into the dark-haired man's lap and gripped the headboard behind Shownu with both hands, arms on either side of Shownu's head, giving the man no choice but to finally meet his gaze.

 "Listen. I'm sorry, okay? I'm not trying to insult you guys and I'm not trying to ostracize Changkyun-ah." Kihyun said pleadingly. Shownu sighed and layed his hands on Kihyun's hips in an attempt to show the other boy that he wasn't angry with him. Kihyun responded by wrapping his arms behind Shownu's neck. Shownu rubbed his thumbs soothingly across Kihyun's hip bones before speaking.

 "Then what exactly are you doing Kihyun-ah? What are you trying to accomplish."

 "I just wanna make sure this is permanent. I don't want anyone to get hurt okay? You have to admit this situation is not normal. I want to know how this happened and if there's any chance that it could be reversed, I think both Hoseok-hyung and Changkyun-ah deserve to know so that no one gets blindsided by anything." Kihyun explained, his eyes desperately searching Shownu's face for some sort of understanding, expression softening he found just that. Shownu lifted a hand to caress Kihyun's cheek and the smaller boy leaned into the touch affectionately, causing a slight smile to grace Shownu's face.

 "Alright, I understand. That's very noble of you Kihyun-ah. And if it's really that important to you, then I support you. But you've got to tone it down a bit, okay? The line between curiousity and obsession is pretty thin and you've been crossing that line. You don't need to be searching the internet for information all day everyday. It's not helping anybody. That's all I ask, is that fair?"

 "You're right hyung. I'm not gonna stop looking, but it's not gonna take over my life anymore either...I promise." Kihyun leaned his head into the juncture between Shownu's neck and shoulder and nuzzled his face into it. His breaths fanned onto Shownu's neck, causing the larger man to shudder and tighten his grip on Kihyun's hips. 

Shownu shifted Kihyun out of his lap and pushed him gently onto the bed so Kihyun was laying on his back. The hamster-like boy was a bit startled by the sudden change in position and a glaring blush rushed to his cheeks, making his face an even brighter red than his hair. Shownu leaned over him, the muscles in his arms bulging as he held up his weight and lessened the distance between his face and Kihyun's. His gaze darkened and a lustful expression dawned his face as he swept his eyes across the feisty red head's face, stopping on his lips. His voice came out low and rough as he addressed Kihyun.

 "Now that we have that settled, there's another issue that needs to be handled." Shownu said with a slightly teasing tone.

 "A-and...what would that issue be, hyung." Kihyun replied voice attempting to sound flirty and innocent but his nervousness was audible, causing the muscular man to smirk. He leaned his head down until his lips were touching Kihyun's neck. He paused to kiss the soft skin a few times before licking a small strip of it and huffing a breath over it, causing Kihyun to shiver and let out a small whimper. He then moved upwards to Kihyun's ear, nibbling the earlobe until Kihyun was a squirming puddle of putty in his hands. He stopped the actions, to the younger's chagrin, and whispered into his ear, voice coming out husky.

 "Why don't you let hyung show you, and we can solve it together. Hm?"

* * *

 Kihyun was rubbing his wet hair with a towel after exiting the shower. He walked back into the bedroom and was greeted with the sight of Shownu sound asleep in the bed in nothing but his underwear. The comforter had been tossed to the floor in the heat of their shenanigans, and it appeared that the older boy had fallen asleep before picking it up off the floor. Kihyun threw the towel onto the back of the computer desk chair before making his way over to Shownu, retrieving the blanket from the floor and gently laying it over his hyung, succeeding in not interrupting his sleep, not that it was anything to brag about, the older boy usually slept like a rock. He contemplated joining the man for a few seconds, but ultimately decided that he wasn't quite ready to sleep yet.

 He wandered back over to the computer and began researching once again. He felt a little bit guilty, since he had just promised Shownu he wasn't going to obsess over this, but he decided it wouldn't hurt if he looked for about half an hour before sleeping. Half an hour turned into two hours and Kihyun was yawning and rubbing his eyes, about to give up for the night when he stumbled upon an interesting link.

  **The Feline Redamancy Project**

 He decided this would be the last thing he looked at tonight as he clicked on the link. As he read further and further into the website his eyes gradually widened and his jaw dropped. He no longer felt tired as he continued reading, an expression of disbelief transforming his face.

 "Holy...shit."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay okay okay. Before you kill me. I know. It's been a long time! And this update is pretty short! And I'm really really sorry about that! There's a couple of different reasons for the delay. First, the whole pneumonia and trying not to die thing. It cleared up for the most part so I'd say I'm operating at about 65% right now. Which is awesome! Second, this was originally supposed to be the last chapter, but after I started writing and my brain decided it would be a good idea to write chapter exclusively about Showki (I regret NOTHING) it didn't feel right to write anything else in the chapter so I ended it here. Third, it took me a long time to figure out and explanation for Changkyun's transformation, I'm not sure if I'm totally happy with what I came up with but there's no turning back now! Fourth, I'm actually leaving for Japan at the end of the month to study! I'll be there for 3 and a half months and I'm super excited! But it takes a lot of preparation and time to live in a foreign country apparently, so that keeps me busy. BUT with all that being said I do wanna finish this before I leave because I'm not sure how much free time I'm gonna have on my hands while I'm there. I think there will be two or 3 more chapters of this (forreal this time) and I'm hoping to finish the whole thing within the next 2 weeks! So I'm super sorry for the wait! But I hope you guys like the chapter! Lemme know how you think I did writing Showki! I was gonna write smut but like...I don't know how to do that. 
> 
> ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT LIVIN' IT UP AND HOW THE MUSIC VIDEO, CHOREOGRAPHY, BEAT, VISUALS AND LYRIC FLOW ARE ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING?? I REALLY HOPE THEY DO PROMOTIONS WHILE I'M IN JAPAN BECAUSE YA GIRL IS GOING!
> 
> anywaysss I'm done rambling, anyone that actually read all the bs can have a virtual hug from me! <3


	11. Requited Love

Hoseok sat in the booth at the little coffee shop down the street from his house, staring at the foam shaped like a cat in latte that he hadn't touched since the waiter left it in front of him 20 minutes ago. He was still trying to process the information that Kihyun had given him before he left, the reason behind Changkyun's existence.

* * *

 

**30 MINUTES AGO**

"Alright Kihyun-ah enough with all the stalling, are you gonna tell me why you asked me to come here or not, I'm sure Changkyunnie is fine with Jooheon-ah but I miss him." Hoseok said, a smile creeping onto his face as he thought about the catboy. The way his ears perked up and his eyes sparkled when Hoseok came home from work and he would rush up to him and crush him in a hug, purring intensely as if Hoseok had been gone for days instead of 8 or 10 hours. It's not like Changkyun was trapped in the house, Hoseok gave him his own set of keys to the door and his own cellphone to contact their shared friends if he wanted someone to hang out with and occasionally the boy would take advantage of that, but Changkyun usually just waited for Hoseok to come home because _"If Hyung isn't with me it's not as fun to go out, and I don't wanna bother everyone all the time just because I'm bored, so I'll just wait for you to come home."_ Hoseok really thought he'd never find anyone as adorable as Changkyun and while he did love the other guys as well, the young feline hybrid held a special place in his heart (not that Hoseok would admit it if you asked him).

"I'm not stalling." Kihyun said grumpily, pouting down at the food he'd been playing with for the last ten minutes. "I'm just trying to figure out how to start."

"So would you agree that you're 'speaking or acting in a deliberately vague way in order to gain more time to deal with a question or issue'?"

"I mean...yeah I guess."

"So then you're stalling. That's the literal definition of stalling Kihyun-ah."

"Is there a reason that you know the exact definition of stalling off the top of your head?"

"I watch a lot of jeopardy."

"I find it hard to believe they asked for the definition of stalling on jeopardy."

"Do you watch Jeopardy religiously?"

"No??"

"Then how would you know whether they asked that or not?!"

"Who's stalling now Hoseok??!"

"Did you just drop honorifics with me? How rude!"

"Do you wanna know why I called you here or not?!"

"Alright, alright!" Hoseok finally conceded, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms across his chest. He lifted his eyebrows in a way the wordlessly conveyed to Kihyun that he could start speaking.

Kihyun put his fork down and took a deep breath to calm himself. He leaned his arms on the table and lifted his gaze until it met Hoseok's own. "It's about Changkyun-ah..." Those three words caused Hoseok's entire demeanour and body language to shift. He sat up and his facial expression changed from relaxed and teasing to pensive and slightly irritated.

"What do you know about Changkyun that I don't?" He questioned with a bit of an edge to his voice.

"Woah, down boy. So defensive geez...you know I've been trying to figure out how Changkyun transformed and I finally found out." Kihyun explained with his hands up in a placating manner. Hoseok just glared at him in response so Kihyun took that as his cue to continue. "He was created in a laboratory by a man who referred to himself as Professor X."

"How original." Hoseok drawled as he rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, the man was working on a project he called the Redamancy Cat Project. Without spending too much time talking about this guy's personal life, he had a lot of trouble in the relationship department, and not just romantic relationships, all relationships. He grew up as an orphan and no one ever adopted him so he grew up in the system, he was painfully awkward so he never made any friends and he could never get anyone to date him. Basically the only affection he ever recieved from another being was from a cat he found on the street. But it ended up dying a couple years later." Hoseok sighed and rubbed his face, causing Kihyun to stop his story and look at Hoseok with concern.

"This is all very interesting, Kihyun-ah. And uh...very sad and it feels like I'm intruding just by listening. But what does this have to do with Changkyunnie, or anything for that matter?" Hoseok asked as he peered at Kihyun through his fingers.

"I was getting to that," Kihyun answered, waving away the question and hopefully Hoseok's unwarrented attitude. _He's so quick to get annoyed whenever he's away from Changkyun-ah for more than a few hours._ "So since he craved human affection, but the only affection he ever recieved was from a cat..." Kihyun trailed off hoping that Hoseok would catch on. The other looked at Kihyun with a blank expression for a few seconds until the realization hit him. His eyes widened comically and his jaw dropped as he jumped up from his chair.

"HE STARTED MAKING CAT HYBRIDS?" He shouted, quickly gathering the attention of the other patrons before Kihyun grabbed his arm and yanked him back in his seat, showing his signature smile to the other customers to assure them that everything was fine and they could go back to minding their business.

"Why the hell are you yelling you idiot?!" Kihyun whisper-screamed befored composing himself and getting back to the story. "The guy had studied genetics in college, I'm not sure how he got all the supplies for all this, but I'm gonna assume it wasn't legally. He started picking up stray cats off the street and basically breeded them for over ten years in his abandoned warehouse so that he'd have an unlimited amount of cats to experiment on. It took a long time but eventually he succeeded in combining the genes of humans and cats, and since it was so easy for him to bond with cats, he made them so that once someone achieved redamancy with one of his cats, their DNA would shift and they would turn human. He got caught by the police and his operation was shut down before he could finish it completely, which explains why Changkyun still retained his ears, eyes and tail when he turned into a human. They assumed he was just running an illegal kitten mill and didn't investigate it any further, so they just sent all the cats to different shelters. There were only about ten cats that he successfully altered the DNA of, but apparently they can pass on this trait to their kittens. Which is why even though this happened a long time ago, we still found Changkyun-ah as a kitten about a month ago." Hoseok just sat there, speechless, trying to process all of the information that Kihyun dumped on him. He opened and shut his mouth dumbly before finally pulling together a reply.

"So, there's a chance that there are other human cat hybrids out in the world?" He pondered out loud. Kihyun couldn't prevent his eyes from rolling into the back of his head at Hoseok's words.

"I mean yes," he began with a sliver of frustration lacing his tone, "Is that all you gathered out of everything I told you?" He asked gently, trying to hone in his irritation and guide Hoseok to the main point. The older boy just looked back at Kihyun with confusion and slightly pink cheeks, embarrassed that he was missing something that Kihyun was insinuating should've been blatently obvious. He rubbed the back of his neck and broke eye contact with Kihyun, preferring to focus on a piece of thread dangling from the sleeve of his shirt.

"I mean, Changkyunnie is obviously a result of this project..." He started off nervously, "Am I missing something?"

"Hoseok-ssi." Kihyun spoke after a moment, making no effort to hide his annoyance.

"Y-yes?" Hoseok stuttered in reply.

"Do you know what the word redamancy means?" Kihyun asked authoritatively, forcing Hoseok to actually make eye contact with him.

"Uhh...no, I don't."

"Oh, that one wasn't on Jeopardy?"

"Shut up!"

"Lemme learn you some knowledge really quick."

"What?"

"The definition of redamancy is 'the act of loving the one that loves you, a love returned in full or a requited love."

"Okay, and...?"

"One of the major components of his experiment is that the DNA shift that causes the cat to take a mostly human form is triggered by redamancy."

"Uh-huh."

"So..."

"So?"

"Oh my god Hoseok you absolute idiot! Changkyun transformed because he's in love with you and you're in love with him!"

"Oohhhh, okay.....wait......WHAT?!!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *writes unnecessarily long dialogue about stalling to stall writing actual content*
> 
> Hey it's me! Back much sooner than last time but I still took way too long. I apologize! The next chapter will only contain Wonkyun content I swear! But it was fun to write the dynamic between Kihyun and Hoseok! I hope I'm not making Kihyun's character too grumpy! I love the cute little hamster but if we're being completely honest he's an evil little hamster and everyone knows it (including him) lemme know what you think in the comments! They are my life blood and I can't survive without them. The next update will be coming soon so look forward to it! I hope you enjoyed this chapter~<3
> 
> On a completely unrelated note!
> 
> CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW FRICKIN ADORABLE THE MONSTA X PUPPY INTERVIEW WAS! I THINK I WATCHED IT 20 MILLION TIMES! I CAN'T GET OVER HOW JOOHEON MAKES GRABBY HANDS AND YELLS "PUPPY!" WHEN THEY BROUGHT THE FIRST ONE OUT. AND HOW HYUNGWON AND WONHO JUST LET THE PUPPIES BITE THEIR CLOTHES AND SHOES AND JUST SMILING WHILE THEY WATCHED! OR SHOWNU SHUSHING CHANGKYUN WHEN THE PUPPY FELL ASLEEP IN HIS LAP! OR KIHYUN TRYING TO SHUSH THE OTHER PUPPIES SO THE PUPPY COULD SLEEP! OR MINHYUK RUBBING HIS FACE ON THE LITTLE PUPPY'S FACE! OR CHANGKYUN SAYING HE WANTS TO COLLABORATE WITH THEM ON A SONG! TOO PURE!
> 
> and that concludes my fangirling have a nice day :)


	12. "What a Coincidence"

Hoseok woke up in a situation that seemed suspiciously familiar.There was a decent amount of weight on the front of his thighs and the sensation of something soft and fuzzy brushing repeatedly across his legs. Two curled up hands were alternating pressure on different parts of his chest and he could feel a faint but consistent vibration throughout his entire body. He blinked his eyes open slowly and smiled faintly as the fuzziness disappeared and revealed Changkyun on top of him in all his glory. Changkyun was wearing one of Hoseok's white tshirts that looked incredibly large and baggy on the catboy's slim figure. He was wearing boxers with no pants because he didn't want his tail to be restricted by the fabric.

Changkyun had given Hoseok many heart attacks on several occasions by walking around the house wearing just a shirt with nothing underneath, whining about the discomfort of pants. Hoseok decided enough was enough when he came home from work and was met with an eyeful of Changkyun's whole ass as he was bent over with his head in the fridge looking for snacks. That day he dragged a pouty Changkyun the store and bought him tons of pairs of boxers, which he then proceeded to cut holes into **(every single pair individually, not because he was in love with Changkyun, but because he was concerned about his tail getting injured. That's it. Nothing more. AT. ALL.)** , so that Changkyun's tail could have freedom, without flashing unsuspecting visitors that came to the house.

Hoseok looked up into the catboy's heterochromic gaze to see that his own fond smile was being matched by the younger. He still looked a little sleepy and his hair was a mess from moving around in his sleep, but Hoseok still thought he was the most adorable thing he'd ever seen **(not that you'd ever catch him saying that out loud)**. Kihyun had a separate conversation with the boy about his origins and Hoseok knew about it. Changkyun knew that Hoseok knew about it, and Hoseok knew that Changkyun knew that Hoseok knew about it, but both of them never brought it up to each other, feeling the need to pretend it never happened for some reason.

In all honesty, that conversation still plagued Hoseok to this day. The idea that Changkyun was essentially programmed to fall in love with him was terrifying. He was afraid that Changkyun's love for him wasn't real or was just downright unethical. But most of all he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to return the boy's affections properly, would end up hurting him and then Changkyun would turn back into a kitten and he'd lose one of the best friends he'd ever had. But he brushed that thought aside just as he brushed the hair that was falling into Changkyun's eyes away from his face. He reached up a bit further and began scratching behind Changkyun's ear, causing the boy to purr even louder and lean down to lay his head between the juncture of Hoseok's neck. They stayed in that blissful moment for a few minutes, both of them reluctant to break the peaceful silence, but in the end Changkyun's voice interrupted the quiet.

"Hyung.."

"Hmm?"

"Can we go somewhere today?"

"Where did you wanna go, Changkyunnie?"

"If I said I wanted it to be a surprise, would you just follow me?"

"I don't know if there's anywhere that I wouldn't follow you at this point."

* * *

 

 Changkyun couldn't help but snicker at the concentration on Hoseok's face. He tried to restrict the amount of times he used his (oddly named) puppy dog eyes on his hyung but he really wanted that bunny plushie from the claw machine, and the satisfaction he got from watching his hyung try so hard to get it for him was just icing on the cake. He hid a laugh behind his hand when Hoseok managed to actually pick up the stuffed animal, but the claw dropped it right in front of the goal instead of into it and Hoseok groaned and banged his head on the glass repeatedly. Hoseok turned a half-hearted glare at the cat boy who's expression turned innocent almost immediately.

"I will win this stuffed rabbit for you if it kills me!" Hoseok screamed as he placed yet another coin into the machine.

"Okay hyungie! I believe in you! Fighting!" Changkyun replied enthusiastically causing a blush to creep to the older boy's face.

Hoseok didn't trust his voice not to waver so he chose not to reply and instead focused his attention on winning that bunny. His face was so close to the glass his nose was almost touching it as he carefully moved the handle to maneuver the claw over the bunny plushie. He almost had the claw exactly where he wanted it before he was startled to find Changkyun's face right next to his. He jumped back accidentally pressing the button the the machine causing the claw to drop. Both boys turned their attention back to the machine and held their breath. They lost a bit of hope when it seemed like the bunny was going to slip through the claw's grasp but it luckily snagged the bunny's ear and picked it up, lifting it over the prize hole and successfully dropping it there. Changkyun jumped up and down cheering loudly as Hoseok reached into the machine to grab the prize with a huge grin on his face. He turned around and handed it to Changkyun who immediately snatched it and began rubbing it against his cheek, eyes closed and a small smile on his face.

Hoseok's massive grin melted into fond gaze as he watched Changkyun cuddle the little rabbit. He looked away and placed his hand on his heart and stared at nothing in particular as he noted the increase in the pace of his heartbeat. This accompanied with the fluttery feeling in his stomach was familiar and unknown all at once. It took him several seconds to register Changkyun calling for his attention.

"Hyung!....Hyung! Hoseok!" Changkyun shouted while waving a hand in front of Hoseok's face. The other boy snapped out of his daze and furrowed his eyebrows at the younger boy.

"Did you just drop honorifics with me too? Why does everybody keep doing that?" Changkyun just smiled cutely at that and chose not to address the question.

"Let's go play some more games." Changkyun said as he grabbed Hoseok's hands and rubbed his thumb over Hoseok's fingers. He wasn't trying to pout to sway Hoseok's decision in either direction, he just felt like holding his hand so he went for it. Hoseok didn't pull his hand back and smiled lightly despite the blush rushing to his cheeks before he nodded and let Changkyun drag him along.

* * *

 

After a hour or two more of playing arcade games Hoseok found himself walking slowly behind a skipping cat boy alongside a small river in their town. He had a cone of cotton candy ice cream he was nursing that they'd picked up from an ice cream truck a few minutes before. The two boys had been walking along and holding hands until Changkyun heard the little jingle that plays when and ice cream truck comes around. Changkyun was incredibly excited when he discovered there was a car that delievered ice cream to you and Hoseok couldn't say no to the pure unadulterated joy on his face if he tried, not that he even thought about denying him.

He smiled lightly as he watched the boy skip along happily, licking his strawberry ice cream gazing at the beautiful sunset hanging over the river and humming a song Hoseok didn't recognize. Hoseok had spent this little bit of time reflecting on his actions and he finally thought he had a grip on what he was feeling and experiencing. He realized what he felt for Changkyun was nothing like he'd ever felt for his previous girlfriends.

He watched Changkyun, analyzed his every move, he noticed every decision the boy made regarding him. He discovered that there was no way that what the other boy was feeling was fake or manufactured. Sure, a scientist had created Changkyun to transform into a human when he experienced love, but there was an important distinction that Hoseok had been overlooking and misunderstanding for weeks now. It wasn't just any sort of love that Changkyun had to be feeling, it had to be redamancy.

**The act of loving the one that loves you, a love returned in full or a requited love.**

Not only was Changkyun in love with Hoseok, Hoseok was in love with Changkyun. That was the way this whole thing worked, that was the sole reason any of the last several weeks even occured. The reason Changkyun was human, and Hoseok was living again. Really, truly living.

Changkyun had stopped skipping and was leaning on the wooden fence dividing the walkway from the river. His gaze was fixed on two ducks swimming around, seemingly circling each other. Hoseok walked over and stood next to Changkyun and began looking at the ducks as well, finishing the last bits of his ice cream. Changkyun's gaze lifted to his hyung's face and analyzed it. He continued to watch the older boy until he finished his treat, and started to speak though Hoseok didn't return his gaze.

"Hyung..."

"Hmm?"

"Why'd you get cotton candy ice cream? I thought strawberry was your favorite."

"Strawberry is my favorite." Hoseok answered vaguely, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on the ducks.

"Then why?" Changkyun asked once again, desperately trying to catch Hoseok's eye.

"Changkyun-ah."

"Yes, hyung?"

"What's your favorite kind of ice cream?"

"Um...the one you got. Cotton candy."

"Hmm. Ask me what flavor of ice cream I want to be."

"Why?"

"Just ask me."

"What flavor ice cream do you want to be, hyung?"

"Cotton candy."

**A knowing smile found its way to Changkyun's as he turned his entire body so he was facing Hoseok.**

"And why is that?"

"Because it's Changkyunnie's favorite. I want to be the kind of ice cream that Changkyun likes best...the one that makes him the happiest, the one he chooses over all the other flavors."

"Really? That's funny."

**Hoseok finally turned and met Changkyun's gaze with a small smile on his face.**

"Why's that funny?"

"That's the same reason I got strawberry."

**Hoseok leaned closer to Changkyun, resting one hand on the younger boy's waist and the other on his cheek. When his lips were less than an inch away from Changkyun's, he spoke softly.**

"What a coincidence."

**Then their lips met, and Hoseok swore he'd never tasted anything sweeter.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I can't believe this story is finally over! I really had a great time writing it and I hope you had a great time reading it! As I type this I'm laying in a bed in a hotel room. My flight to Japan leaves tomorrow morning. It's like as this chapter ends a brand new chapter of my life is beginning...
> 
> THAT WAS SO SAPPY AND DISGUSTING SOMEONE DELETE MY ACCOUNT I'M GONNA VOMIT
> 
> anyways...
> 
> I'm done rambling.
> 
> But seriously, thank you for all the comments and kudos you guys left it means the world to me! Hopefully I'll find some inspiration and I'll be able to write more for you guys
> 
> But if not I'm open to suggestions or requests about new fics you'd like to see!
> 
> またね! :)


	13. It's My Birthday So I Get What I Want

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some super sappy shit for Changkyun's birthday! Just read it stop asking questions!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm way too tired to proofread this atm so I apologize in advance for any mistakes...

Hoseok found himself being woken up in a way that had become the norm in the past year and a half. He had a warm comforting weight resting on his waist, something soft and fluffy brushing across his legs, and two hands kneading his chest. He smiled knowing these features could only belong to his beloved cat hybrid Changkyun. He didn't even need to open his eyes to know exactly where to reach his hand out so he could cup the beautiful boy's face. Changkyun leaned into the touch as per usual, and Hoseok shifted his hand further and scratched behind one of Changkyun's fuzzy black ears. This caused the boy to close his eyes and smile contentedly, as a soft purr rumbled through his chest. Hoseok finally opened his eyes and couldn't help but grin upon seeing the adorable man he had the pleasure of calling his boyfriend, and ran his hands through the dark black locks in attempt to fix his bed head.

"Good morning, Changkyunnie~" Hoseok said lovingly, running his knuckles gently across Chnagkyun's cheek.

"Good Morning Hoseokkie-hyung." Changkyun said dreamily.

"Oh my gosh, it's your birthday! Happy Birthday, Changkyun-ah!"

"Thank you hyungie! I have so much planned for you!"

"For me? But it's your birthday..."

"Yes, we have established this fact."

"Why would you plan things for me on your birthday?" Hoseok asked, equal parts confused and exasperated that Changkyun was making him look like the odd one in this situation.

"It's MY birthday which means WE get to do whatever I want to do, am I correct?" Changkyun countered with a smug smile on his face. Hoseok could only blink at the feline boy blankly for a few seconds before a chuckle bubbled up his throat.

"I mean, I guess bu-" Hoseok started before Changkyun quickly cut him off.

"Ah ah! No! No buts! It's my birthday, so what I say goes." Changkyun exclaimed, emphasizing his point by crossing his arms across his chest and pouting adorably. Hoseok couldn't hide the way his gaze softened at the sight if he tried.

"Alright fine!" Hoseok said through a laugh, "What are we doing then, birthday boy?"

"Roll over."

"What?"

"You ask so many damn questions hyung just roll over and hush!" Changkyun shouted as he got off of Hoseok's lap and rushed into the bathroom to grab something. Hoseok grumbled something about Changkyun being testy but followed directions and rolled over on his stomach.

Changkyun ran back into the room with a little bottle in his hand and climbed onto the bed, straddling Hoseok's hips once again. He poured some of the contents of the bottle into his hands and rubbed it between his hands. He then began kneading between Hoseok's shoulder blades causing the older boy to immediately release a moan as the stress instantly left his muscles and the light vanilla scent of the oils met his nose. This went on for a bit with Changkyun working the knots and tension out of all of Hoseok's back, neck and shoulder muscles while the older boy let out sighs and other sounds of pleasure.

"Changkyun-ah, as much as I appreciate this...why are you doing this? It's your birthday?"

"Exactly because it's MY birthday and I can do whatever I want. Now get up and go shower, I'm making us smoothies. And wear something casual babe we're going out."

"Jeez you are the bossiest birthday boy I have ever seen..." Hoseok muttered as he got up, making sure to leave a kiss on Changkyun's forehead before leaving the room and heading to the bathroom as he was told. As soon as the door closed and the shower started running, Changkyun rushed to the living room and picked his phone up off the counter, quickly scrolling through his contacts and clicking on Kihyun's before raising the phone to his ear. It only rang three times before the older boy picked up.

"Happy Birthday Changkyun-ah!" Both Kihyun and Shownu shouted through the phone causing Changkyun to giggle as he pulled the phone away from his ear at the volume and returned it before speaking.

"Thank you Hyungs~" he answered, voice full of giddiness.

"So what's up, kid?" Shownu asked seriously and Changkyun couldn't help but roll his eyes playfully at how much of a dad response the older man gave.

"I wanna do something for Hoseokkie and I need you guys to help me."

"But it's your birthday Changkyun-ah?" Kihyun said with confusion lacing his tone. Changkyun rolled his eyes with a bit of actual frustration this time before answering.

"So I've been told. Can you help me or not?" He asked with withering patience.

"Of course we can! What do you need?" 

* * *

 

They were finally returning home from a long day out. Changkyun had taken them to see the movie Hoseok had been whining about for the past week. Then they went and hung out with Minhyuk, Jooheon and Hyungwon. They ice skated and went bowling and went to arcades. Changkyun had set his sights on winning a giant cat plushie for Hoseok, though the other boy told him several times that he didn't need it, and looked immensely proud when he did it. It took him about $30 worth of tokens to get it, but never the less he achieved his goal. Since Hoseok's hands were full of the large cat plushie and other things they had gotten throughout the day, Changkyun was the one unlocking the door.

When the door opened Hoseok was immediately hit with the smell of freshly made ramen and his mouth began to water. Changkyun ran to the middle of the room and turned around cutely, grinning at his hyung. Hoseok looked around in disbelief and his saw candles and flower petals streamed on the kitchen table and around the floor and he couldn't forget the two steaming bowls of ramen on the table.

"Surprise hyung! It's your favorite!" Changkyun announced excitedly with his tail swishing back and forth and his ears twitching in anticipation. Hoseok attempted to pick his jaw up off the floor before replying.

"Changkyunnie this is amazing! How did you-we've been together all day how did thi-"

"Hyung the ramen is gonna get cold and soggy if you keep asking all these questions." Changkyun stated calmly with a warm smile decorating his face.

"Alright alright. Let's eat!" 

* * *

 

Both boys finished their ramen relatively quickly as they had been starving after the days activities. They didn't talk much as they ate, and Hoseok finished first so he just watched Changkyun enjoy his food while thoughts were racing through his head. When Changkyun finally finished slurping the last of the broth, he placed the bowl on the table and wiped his mouth on his sleeve before taking on Hoseok's pensive state. He smiled a little and reached over the table, curling his hand into a fist and knocking on Hoseok's forehead a few times to get his attention.

"Whatcha thinking about?" He questioned cutely, resting his head on his hands and tilting it to the side.

"It's just...Changkyun I know you keep saying it's your birthday and you can do whatever you want. And of course I had a wonderful time today, it's almost impossible not to have a good time with you, but I feel like I haven't done anything for you all day. I need to do something for you too." Hoseok rambled as Changkyun looked at him with understanding.

"Ah, I see. Actually hyung, there's one thing I would really like you to do for my birthday." Changkyun replied calmly, sitting back in his chair.

"Of course Changkyunnie. I'd do anything for you!" Hoseok replied quickly.

"Awesome! Okay, stay here for a bit and close your eyes for me okay? No peeking!"

"Alright I won't look just hurry!" Hoseok answered as he lifted his hands to cover his eyes, wondering what Changkyun could be up to now. He heard the catboy quickly race out of the room and come back just ask fast. It was silent for a moment as Changkyun presumably got himself situated for whatever this surprise was. He finally settled and exhaled a deep breath before telling Hoseok to open his eyes. When the older did just that his hands went from his eyes to his mouth as he gasped. Tears welled in his eyes immediately as he took in the sight before him. Changkyun was down on one knee holding a small ring box with two matching wedding bands in it. His eyes looked a bit wet as well as he spoke.

"Hyung...I thought long and hard about what I wanted for my birthday for a while, but I couldn't decide on anything. Everything I could think of would only give me temporary happiness, and then life would go on and I'd forget about whatever stupid material thing I'd ask you to get. There's no point. So I asked myself what's the one thing that makes me the happiest in the world. The first thing I think about when I wake up, the last thing I think of before I go to sleep. Something I don't wanna live without, one of the few things that truly matters to me...and all that kept coming to my mind was you. So that's what I did, I gave myself the gift of you all day long. Your smile is one of my favorite things in the world, so I did everything I could to keep it on your face for the entire day...and it was magical. I loved every second of it, and I always will as long as you let me. You said you wanted to give me something too. The truth is you are everything I could ever ask for...so would you mind giving me the greatest gift of all? Marry me, hyung? Marry me and I'll have everything I could ever want..."

"Changkyunnie..." Hoseok started, voice trembling and tears streaming down his face. "I don't know what I did to deserve you...how I could ever be so lucky to love and be loved by a man like you. I'm so flustered I don't even know what to say..."

"Well you only have one choice." Changkyun said with a grin as a tear ran down his cheek as well.

"How so?" Hoseok chuckled as he wiped the tear from Changkyun's face gently and cupped the boy's cheeks.

"It's my birthday so I get whatever I want, and I want you to say yes."

"I guess I can't argue with that."

"So...?"

"So, what Changkyunnie?"

"Hyungggg~ please just say yes already!"

"Well...only because it's your birthday and you asked so nicely. Yes, yes. Like I could saying anything but yes."

Changkyun jumped into Hoseok's arms and kissed him passionately for a few minutes before moving back and placing the ring on Hoseok finger. Hoseok smiled widely and cried as he returned the gesture, grabbing Changkyun's left hand and sliding the ring onto his finger before bringing the whole hand to his mouth and leaving a short kiss on it.

"Happy Birthday Changkyunnie..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I've been gone for a long time I'm so sorry! I only got back from Japan a month ago and life has been pretty crazy...it still kinda is. Not to mention that I've had no inspiration to write anything as of late. But I decided I would suck it up and write something for Changkyun's birthday because he deserves it. Hopefully it's not complete garbage. Lemme know what you think in the comments!
> 
> Also if you're into this sort of thing...I have a tumblr now (wontokkiluv97) so if you wanna be friends or something just add me...
> 
> Okii byeeee~♡

**Author's Note:**

> Lemme know if I should continue this. I have a basic idea of where I want it to go but I'm open to suggestions! :)


End file.
